Style & Culture

41 Movies to Watch If You’re Dreaming of Italy

From summers in Lombardy through Luca Guadagnino's lens to adventures in Rome's Colosseum with Hilary Duff.

April 27, 2020

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Italy has produced—and inspired—some of the greatest cinema of all time. Among its key players, you'll find directors like Federico Fellini and Luca Guadagnino alongside actors like Sophia Loren and Marcello Mastroianni (and quite often, the American Gregory Peck). But when we asked our editors what their favorite Italian movies were, their choices went far beyond the classics. Below, you'll find picks like the mid-'90s rom-com Only You and Netflix's Two Popes—and lots of Tilda Swinton. (Plus Lizzie McGuire, of course.) Yes, the scope of our picks are broad—there are movies in Italian, filmed in Italy, or just set in part in the boot-shaped country included, but they'll all transport you to the bustle of Rome, the rolling Tuscan countryside, the luxe Lake Como, or beyond in no time.

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8 ½ (1963)
While La Dolce Vita is possibly the most famous in the Fellini canon, 8 ½ is the one the film buffs salivate over—it's surreal and visually arresting, and it's totally okay to feel lost as you watch it; you still won't care. Marcello Mastroianni plays Guido, a film director struggling to work on his latest movie amid a complete creative block exacerbated by marital problems. As pressure mounts to begin work on the film, Guido begins to avoid life—his crew, his mistress, his ex—slipping into memories and daydreams where he attempts to wrest back control. Guido's journey in coming to terms with the artistic process and public pressures artists face is fascinating to follow, but the real treat for the viewer is kicking back and soaking up Fellini's flourishing style from start to finish. —Corina Quinn, city guides director
Watch now: Rent from $4, amazon.com
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The Talented Mr. Ripley (1999)
I have watched The Talented Mr. Ripley more times than I count. A large part of the draw is the gripping plot, of course—a social climber named Tom Ripley (played by Matt Damon) insinuates himself into the lives of wealthy couple Dickie Greenleaf (played by Jude Law) and Marge Sherwood (played by Gwyneth Paltrow) and high drama ensues—but it's equally the Amalfi Coast location. I can't think of anywhere I'd rather be right now than eating al fresco in the garden of some beautiful Italian villa, or soaking up the sun on one of the region's umbrella-dotted beaches. —Lale Arikoglu, senior lifestyle editor
Watch now: Free with Netflix subscription, netflix.com; Rent from $4, amazon.com

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Bicycle Thieves (1948)
Vittorio De Sica's Neorealism masterpiece essentially introduced a new genre and has been a reference point for it ever since. The story follows a working class father from a hardscrabble neighborhood, fresh in a new job, whose bike was stolen and who can't work without it. With his small son by his side, he spends the day in Rome, trying to find who took it. The father, Antonio, displays a remarkable amount of dignity and character throughout, but when the situation becomes desperate, he is forced to act beyond his conscience, which surfaces all sorts of moral, conflicting issues that both he and the audience must wrestle with. It is a timeless, human story, which is in part why this classic endures. —Erin Florio, travel news director
Watch now: Rent from $4, amazon.com
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The Godfather (1972)
Is there any meet-cute more memorable than the one between Michael Corleone and Apollonia Vitelli? The two characters of Francis Ford Coppola’s 1972 masterpiece, The Godfather, meet in the middle of a flower-studded field in Sicily, where Corleone has fled after igniting a mafia war in New York. The lovestruck Corleone, says a friend, acts like he’s been hit with a “thunderbolt”—but he’s just as likely to be moved by the beauty of his environs as he is by Apollonia. Filmed in and around Sicily, in particular, the crumbling town of Forza d’Agro and the small village of Savoca, The Godfather’s occasionally bucolic backdrop belies the film’s innate violence. Apollonia, of course, goes on to meet a sad fate, but the image of the two finding one another amid Sicily’s dusty, unspoiled landscapes endures. —Betsy Blumenthal, associate editor
Watch now: Rent from $4, amazon.com

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The Great Beauty (2013)
This is Rome operating on a gear you didn't realize it had: even more frenetic, surreal, and disorienting than you've already seen it (but in a good way). The story centers on Jeb, a journalist who has lived large on the city's nightlife for decades following the success of his first—and only—novel. Things uproot this aging playboy when his 65th birthday coincides with several casual but significant run-ins, shifting his experience of Rome from the decadent and composed to the natural beauty that lies at the heart of the city. A commentary on the superficiality of the Berlusconi era, it nevertheless captures all of Rome's best angles. —C.Q.
Watch now: Rent from $4, amazon.com
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Suspiria (1977)
It stars an American actress and it's set in a German ballet school, but nonetheless it's one of the defining cornerstones of Italian cinema, so much so that acclaimed director Luca Guadagnino (I Am Love, Call Me By Your Name) loosely remade it in 2018. The original, shot in 1977 and directed by Dario Argento, Italy's greatest master of kitschy thrills and chills, is a sordid supernatural tale of dancers and demons, maggots and murder. Of particular note is the lurid color palette and epic prog-rock score by the band Goblin. Basically, this is about as much fun as a horror movie can be. —Jesse Ashlock, U.S. editor
Watch now: Free, tubitv.com

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The Two Popes (2019)
Jonathan Pryce picked up an Oscar nomination for best actor as Jorge Bergoglio, the man who became Pope Francis. The story of his ascension through the church and respectful—though often tense—relationship with Pope Benedict before taking his place in the Vatican puts a very human face on a part of Italy that for many people is historic, but staid, silent and mostly inaccessible. Many of the scenes that Pryce and Anthony Hopkins as Benedict share—sitting, almost speechless, in an entirely empty Sistine Chapel, watching Germany beat Argentina to win the World Cup—show that Popes, sometimes, are just like us. —Noah Kaufman, city guides editor

Watch now: Free with Netflix subscription, netflix.com
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The Trip to Italy (2014)
Like the original Trip film, the sequel to history's greatest argument over the vocal stylings of Sir Michael Caine bounces back and forth between subtle buddy comedy and a true visual feast. Steve Coogan and Rob Brydon dine at two-Michelin star restaurants in Rome, an isolated pasta shack on the rocks overlooking the Mediterranean in San Fruttuoso, and a whole run of Italian restaurants that will have you clamoring for fresh seafood and as much olive oil as you can buy. But one of the remarkable things about the movie is that the breathtaking landscapes and beautiful food are barely mentioned by Coogan and Brydon, who remain so focused doing bits with each other you'll feel like you deserve the trip more than they do. —N.K.
Watch now: Rent from $4, amazon.com

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Rome, Open City (1945)
Shot among the ruins of Rome by Roberto Rossellini (father of Isabella) just months after the end of World War II, this was the first cinematic portrayal of the war experience in Italy and the first widely seen example of Italian Neorealism, perhaps the country's greatest contribution to 20th-century cinema. Beyond its profound influence on auteurs from Jean-Luc Godard to Satyajit Ray to Martin Scorcese, it is a timeless investigation of ordinary life under extraordinary circumstances, on par with novels by Zola and Dickens. —J.A.
Watch now: Rent from $4, amazon.com
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Under the Tuscan Sun (2003)
Look, some may scoff at this 2003 rom-com starring Diane Lane, but if it's good enough for Jenny Slate, then it's good enough for the rest of us. Yes, it's cheesy, and yes, the story of a woman leaving her husband to find herself in Italy has been done to death, but who hasn't fantasized about moving someplace new and starting over? Who hasn't fantasized about living in Italy, period? Stuck in quarantine like the rest of the world, I'd pretty much give anything to be renovating the fictional Villa Bramasole or drinking limoncello in Positano right now—cliches included. —L.A.
Watch now: Free with Hulu subscription, hulu.com; Rent from $4, amazon.com

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The Omen (1976)
The original Omen movie (you can go ahead and skip the 2006 remake) is one of the greatest horror films ever made, starring Gregory Peck as an American diplomat who, through a series of misfortunate events, discovers that his adopted son, Damien, is actually the Antichrist. Our protagonist travels to Rome to investigate Damien's birth parents, unwittingly discovering some truly horrifying secrets among the city's churches and cemeteries. It's not quite the dreamy, idealized view of Italy that a lot of movies portray, but it's certainly the best if you prefer thrills to romance. —Caitlin Morton, contributing editor
Watch now: Free with Starz subscription, starz.com; Rent from $4, amazon.com
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Call Me By Your Name (2017)
For me, there’s almost no movie more evocative of a place than Luca Guadagnino’s 2017 masterpiece Call Me By Your Name, based on the André Aciman book by the same name. Starring Timothée Chalamet and Armie Hammer, the movie traces the sweet but fraught relationship between two men, who become romantically involved over the course of one summer in the early 1980s. But perhaps a third unnamed star of the movie is its location: Filmed around northern Italy, amid golden fields and worn stone piazzas, you can nearly smell the breeze that wafts by during the al fresco dinner, and feel the weight of the midday heat that bears down while the characters laze by the pool. If I suspend my disbelief for long enough, I’m very nearly there, too. —B.B.
Watch now: Rent from $4, amazon.com

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Eat Pray Love (2010)
Who among us hasn’t watched this movie (or read the memoir by Elizabeth Gilbert) and thought about up and leaving our everyday life behind? While most of us won’t really, watching Julia Roberts set off to Italy, wander around piazzas, road trip to Naples, and eat a whole lot of pasta, pastries, and gelato is almost as fun. Of the three destinations she visits, Italy is all about learning to appreciate the pleasure of a good, slow meal and dolce far niente—the sweetness of doing nothing. —Madison Flager, commerce editor
Watch now: Rent from $4, amazon.com
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Cinema Paradiso (1990)
Even after years of repeat viewings, the final scene of Cinema Paradiso turns me into a complete puddle. Giuseppe Tornatore's love letter to the art of cinema takes form in the tale of Salvatore (Toto), whom we meet as a famous film director in Rome. When he learns his childhood mentor Alfredo has died, the film flashes back to his youth, when he was the smart, mischievous son of a war widow in a small village in Sicily. The film follows the beginnings of Toto's friendship with Alfredo, who runs the local movie house, then grows as Alfredo teaches Toto how to operate the projector, while also dispensing life and love advice. It moves through Toto's first romance and his military service, and how Alfredo encourages Toto to leave Sicily to achieve his dreams. Ultimately, Salvatore returns to Sicily to attend Alfredo's funeral, and his reckoning with where his life has taken him because of that friendship and love of cinema, comes to its fruition in the final scene. Which I'm not going to describe here, because I wouldn't deprive you of seeing it for yourself. —C.Q.
Watch now: Rent from $4, itunes.apple.com

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The Lizzie McGuire Movie (2003)
Piggybacking off one of the Disney Channel's greatest original shows, The Lizzie McGuire Movie follows the eponymous teen (played by Hilary Duff) as she and her junior high school class take a graduation trip to Rome. Lizzie's life is pretty incredible already, so you can imagine the antics she and her friends find themselves in while galavanting around Italy's capital: We're talking chance encounters with Italian pop stars by the Trevi Fountain, rooftop makeout sessions, and impromptu performances at the Italian Music Awards. —C.M.
Watch now: Free with Disney+ subscription, disneyplus.com; Rent from $4, amazon.com
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Amarcord (1973)
This Fellini Oscar winner can feel at times like the lines between reality and a dreamier, nearly-surrealist state are blurred beyond distinction. Set in a seaside town like Rimini, where the director grew up, during the peak fascist era of the 1930s, it vaguely chronicles life through the eyes of a teenager, his friends, and his family, through a series of vignettes that often leave viewers wondering what is and is not part of the plot. But the point here is that there is no conventional plot. Rather, Amarcord is a humorous and cheeky series of micro-stories that follow a loose structure whose characters and locations start to feel more and more familiar as you go, much like a dream itself. Though artsy, it is not an arthouse film. The key to enjoying it is to not overthink it, and just roll with it, scene-by-scene. In its own way, it's a masterpiece and essential viewing for anyone remotely interested in film or Italian cinema. —E.F.
Watch now: Rent from $4, amazon.com

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Roman Holiday (1953)
I'd argue that no Hollywood movie better encapsulates the romance and allure of Rome better than Roman Holiday. The film stars Audrey Hepburn as a European princess who escapes her palace (and royal duties) for 24 hours and Gregory Peck as a newspaper reporter who shows her around Rome, hoping to catch an exclusive story. The two ride a moped through the streets, eat ice cream on the Spanish Steps, and eventually fall in love to the backdrop of one of the world's most beautiful cities. (Full disclosure: This is the only movie that makes me cry every single time I watch it.) —C.M.
Watch now: Rent from $4, amazon.com
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A Bigger Splash (2015)
No one captures Italy—or at least the Italy that lives in my head—better than Luca Guadagnino. Tilda Swinton plays a rock star called Marianne Lane holed up in an isolated villa with her boyfriend (played by Matthias Schoenaerts), whose retreat from public life is quickly disrupted by the arrival of an ex boyfriend (played by Ralph Fiennes) and his daughter (played by Dakota Johnson). It's a thriller that's supposed to warn you of the perils of wealth, beauty, and excess (which it does successfully) but most of the time it makes me want to pour myself a negroni, eat some branzino, and jump in a swimming pool. Plus, the soundtrack is great. —L.A.
Watch now: Rent from $4, amazon.com

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Life Is Beautiful (1998)
The first half of this '90s screwball comedy (turned drama) will make you dream of bicycling through the villages of Italy in search of a goofy stranger to call you principessa. While the movie turns heartbreakingly dark once the realities of the Holocaust set in, the film manages to end on a hopeful note, leaning on the love and sacrifice a father shows his son. And if you haven’t seen Roberto Benigni’s reaction to the movie winning best foreign language film at the Oscar's, you’re in for a treat—it was the Tom Cruise couch moment of its time. —M.F.
Watch now: Rent from $4, amazon.com
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It Started in Naples (1960)
Sophia Loren, Clark Gable, Naples, Capri. What more do you need? It Started in Naples is zany and farcical, and so much of it wouldn't fly in modern-day storytelling. After his brother dies, Gable travels to Naples to settle the estate—and learns he has a nephew from his brother's long-term affair. The boy now is living with his showgirl aunt, played by Loren to the hilt. While Gable's character tries to take the boy to Rome for school, Loren gets custody—and a romance develops between the two adults as they fight over how to best raise the child. Shot on location in Rome, Naples, and Capri, it won an Oscar for art direction. The crowds, the noise, the hustle—it will all make you feel as if you're right in the action, which doesn't seem to have changed much since the movie was shot. —C.Q.
Watch now: Rent from $4, amazon.com

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Gomorrah (2008)
Years before it became a wildly successful international TV series, Gomorrah was a gritty, cinema vérité–style look at modern-day organized crime in Naples. Based on a book by investigative journalist Roberto Saviano (who drew death threats while reporting it), this couldn't be further from the warm, honeyed portrayals of Italy common to so many other films. But as a welcome corrective to the too-frequent romanticization of the mafia, an honest analysis of the hard choices forced on members of the Italian underclass, and a visceral piece of storytelling, it is one of the most important Italian movies to come out this century. —J.A.
Watch now: Rent from $4, amazon.com
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Umberto D (1952)
A '50s classic with a fantastic score, Umberto D is reportedly director Vittorio De Sica’s favorite of his films (and yet another shining example of Italian Neorealism). It’s set in post-war Rome, and follows the story of an elderly man (and his beloved dog) trying to make ends meet when his landlord raises his rent. Truthfully, not a whole lot happens throughout the movie, but you still find yourself rooting for Umberto til the last minute—and wanting to dress half as well as he does, top hat and all. —M.F.
Watch now: Rent from $4, amazon.com

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I Am Love (2009)
I haven't been to Milan since I was a child, but Luca Guadagnino's depiction of the city makes me feel like I know it intimately—from the grand and beautiful homes that occupy it to the dinners and parties that make it feel alive. Tilda Swinton, who stars as a Russian woman marrying into an Italian family, is also dressed impeccably. So much so that watching her makes me want to swan around in big sunglasses and shift dresses until further notice. —L.A.
Watch now: Rent from $4, amazon.com
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Chasing Liberty (2004)
Chasing Liberty isn't the first movie you think of when it comes to iconic scenes set in Italy, but Venice has a big role in the main characters' European adventure. Anna Foster (played by Mandy Moore) is the First Daughter of the United States and Ben Calder (played by Matthew Goode) is the mysterious British boy who helps her escape from the ultra-protective White House security detail in Prague. The crux of the movie takes place in Venice, where they pretend to be newlyweds on a gondola ride (of course). Most will watch this because it's a frothy rom-com, but the epic trip through Europe—full of mishaps and thrills—makes it a fun escape. —Stephanie Wu, articles director
Watch now: Rent from $2, amazon.com

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La Dolce Vita (1960)
At the heart of every university cinema survey, Fellini's iconic film gave us so many cultural gifts: the origins of the term “paparazzi,” costumes that wow even today, Anita Ekberg splashing around the Trevi Fountain in a ballgown. A comedy-drama, Marcello Mastroianni stars as a gossip writer flouncing through Rome in the pursuit of love and happiness, struggling to lead a more meaningful life—yet continually distracted and hindered by his own vices. It's Fellini, so in lieu of a standard story arc it's episodic in its telling, and a lot of the symbolism about post-war Italy could get lost in a casual viewing. But no matter: visually, it's stunning, and so entertaining; there's a reason the greats like Roger Ebert consider it an all-time favorite. —C.Q.
Watch now: Free with 30-day Filmbox Live trial, amazon.com
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The English Patient (1996)
This World War II romance story—and best-picture winner at the 69th Academy Awards—splits its screen time between Italy and Egypt, the former of which dazzles during some of the film's most memorable scenes. Catch real-life Tuscan locations like monastery of Sant’Anna in Camprena (where Ralph Fiennes lives out his final days) and the Basilica of San Francesco in Arezzo (where Juliette Binoche examines the gorgeous frescoes). —C.M.
Watch now: Rent from $4, amazon.com

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Juliet of the Spirits (1965)
There are more celebrated films by Italy's greatest auteur (8 1/2, La Dolce Vita), but in its way this 1965 classic, starring the director's wife Giulietta Masina as a middle-aged woman seeking a psychic exit from a loveless marriage to an unfaithful husband, is uniquely representative of Fellini's oeuvre. It's his first film in color, which he utilizes to the max to explore his favorite subject—the porous boundary between dreams and reality. It was also was shot both in the real-world locations that defined his earlier work (the village of Fregene, on the mouth of the Tiber) and on the cavernous sound stages of his beloved Cinecittà Studios in Rome, where he would retreat for most of his later films. —J.A.
Watch now: Rent from $4, amazon.com
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Enchanted April (1991)
If you’ve been dreaming about escaping to a hilltop castle in Italy during our time in lockdown, have I got the movie for you. Based on the 1923 bestselling novel The Enchanted April, this film follows four women who trade their lives in rainy, 1920s London for a sunny holiday at a castle in Portofino, where they spend their days blissfully lounging around the estate and taking dips in the sea. It’s slow-paced but you won’t mind, because watching each woman unwind and reach peak vacation happiness feels almost as good as if you were on vacation yourself. —Sarah Ratner, associate social media manager
Watch now: Rent from $4, amazon.com

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The Voice of the Moon (1990)
Two Italian masters, Fellini and Roberto Benigni of Life Is Beautiful, teamed up in this dramatic comedy about soul searching and lunacy. In part a social commentary on consumption, greed, and media power, The Voice of the Moon is irreverent and absurd. It's reception was never strong beyond Italy, but for anyone curious to see more from Fellini's canon, this is a great place to start. —E.F.
Watch now: Rent from $4, amazon.com
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Like Crazy (2017)
Italy by no means has the starring role of this film (no, not the Felicity Jones one), but in the moments that it does appear, it shines, whether Beatrice and Donatella are driving along the coast, swiping a vintage car from a film set Thelma and Louise-style, or crashing a family party at a gorgeous Tuscan mansion. The movie follows the two aforementioned women as they break out of the psychiatric clinic they’re staying in (it also seemingly critiques the idea of institutions themselves), and is ultimately about the bond they forge in and out of treatment. It’s also in Italian, and the dialogue is wildly fast, so be prepared to keep up with the subtitles. —M.F.
Watch now: Rent from $4, amazon.com

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Letters to Juliet (2010)
Letters to Juliet is probably best known as Amanda Seyfried's big starring role after Mamma Mia. The plot is pure travel escapism—Sophie (played by Seyfried) goes to Verona with her fiancé, Victor (played by Gael García Bernal). She falls in love with the idea of the "letters to Juliet" left by unrequited lovers, and volunteers to help answer them. The most enjoyable part about the movie is watching Claire (played by Vanessa Redgrave) search for her long-lost lover after decades apart, which leads Sophie to rethink her feelings about love and passion when she returns stateside. Who hasn't gotten back from a trip to Italy with a newfound ambition to embrace la dolce vita? —S.W.
Watch now: Rent from $4, itunes.apple.com; Buy from $10, amazon.com
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A Room With A View (1985)
Helena Bonham Carter makes her film debut in this gorgeously shot, painstakingly produced movie based on E.M. Forster’s novel of the same name. Set during the Edwardian era, Bonham Carter plays Lucy, a young woman choosing between the priggish, safe bet Cecil (played almost too convincingly by Daniel Day Lewis) or the free-spirited, passionate George (a floppy-haired, chiseled Julian Sands) who she meets in Florence while touring the continent with her spinster cousin and chaperone (played by Maggie Smith). Of course the story and character development are fantastic, but it’s the costumes and the landscapes—the beautifully framed shots of Florence through an open window and the idyllic English countryside—that bring another, tangible layer of romance to this film. –Rebecca Misner, West Coast editor

Watch now: Rent from $4, amazon.com

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National Lampoon's European Vacation (1985)
In a movie filled with standout scenes (the Stonehenge snafu, the misunderstanding in Germany), the part set in Rome is what always leaps first to my mind when I think of this seriously great, never out of fashion, family travel film. The Griswolds land in Italy and do a typically terrible job of fitting in, from their messy car rental to their fashion choices (side note: this is a great chance to ogle the OTT style of 1980s Italy), to a leaked video tape of Beverly D'Angelo's character singing in the shower that becomes an overnight nationwide hit. And yet, despite these cringe-worthy plot lines, you find yourself still desperately wishing you could be there, too, in little moments, eating scoops of rainbow-colored gelato in the piazza to sitting on the Spanish Steps as the Griswolds debut their new Italian looks. —E.F.
Watch now: Free with a Hulu subscription, hulu.com
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Much Ado About Nothing (1993)
This classic is based on Shakespeare’s comedy of the same name. In true Shakespeare fashion, it’s full of romance, quick wit and—of course—revenge. Happily set to marry, young Hero and her groom-to-be Claudio scheme together with Don Pedro (a young Denzel Washington!) to match up their stubborn friends, Benedick and fantastically sharp-tongued Beatrice. In the meantime, meddling Don John (a young Keanu Reeves!) plots to ruin the wedding. Filmed entirely at the lovely Villa Vignamaggio in Chianti, with an abundance of flowy white dresses, the movie will transport you to sunny Tuscany for an hour and a half. —Mercedes Bleth, senior social media manager
Watch now: Rent from $4, amazon.com

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Malena (2000)
Giuseppe Tornatore revisits World War II-era Italy in this film, telling the tragic story of Malena, the local beauty of a small Sicilian town. While her husband is at war, the men in town lust after her, and young Renato, the narrator, becomes transfixed by her and vows to be her protector. Malena's solitary state makes her an object of scorn for the town women, and a flat-out object to the men, and as Malena's circumstances worsen, she becomes a sex worker to survive. Things get much worse before they get better, but ultimately the semi-coming-of-age drama explores the dangers of objectification—whether well-intentioned or not—and how it's the target itself, the one who never asked for the attention, who ends up suffering the most. —C.Q.
Watch now: Rent from $4, amazon.com
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Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade (1989)
Indiana Jones is no stranger to traveling the globe, all in the name of fighting Nazis and protecting artifacts, and The Last Crusade has some of the best action sequences in the entire franchise—many of which take place in Venice. Watch as Indy finds clues in the San Barnaba church, climbs through some rat-filled catacombs, and engages in a boat chase in the waters surrounding the city. In the words of Mr. Jones himself: "Ah, Venice." –C.M.
Watch now: Free with Netflix subscription, netflix.com; Rent from $4, amazon.com

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The Italian Job (1969)
The 1969 Italian Job (remade in 2003 with Ed Norton and Charlize Theron) stars the always smart and savvy Michael Caine and is as much a fast-paced bank heist flick as it is an ode to the swinging '60s. The mini dresses on the coiffed and shellac-haired women, the turtleneck sweaters on the men, the adorable red, white, and blue Mini Cooper getaway cars are all set to a groovy, dissonant soundtrack by Quincy Jones. It may not be as slick as the remake, but it’s so much fun. –R.M.

Watch now: Free, tubitv.com
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Ocean's Twelve (2004)
Stephen Soderbergh's Oceans movies—all four of them—are the sort of easy, fun heist flicks that exist to make airplane rides more enjoyable. The second in the series has the most impressive shot list though. Clooney, Pitt, et. al get to take in views of Lake Como (the Como scenes were actually done at Clooney's villa there) as they plan their heist in the fictional Galleria D'Arte, shot at the Villa Borghese. And Julia Roberts playing Tess Ocean playing Julia Roberts meeting Bruce Willis is charmingly self aware. —N.K.
Watch now: Rent from $4, amazon.com

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Only You (1994)
Is the set-up for this rom-com unbelievable and a little bit lame? Yes. (A woman gets stuck on who she’s destined to marry based on the name, Damon Bradley, that was spelled out while playing with an ouija board as a kid) Does this matter? Of course not! A young Marisa Tomei bails on her wedding after one of her fiancé’s friends calls to cancel because he’s going traveling through Italy. His name is, you guessed it, Damon Bradley. Tomei heads to a refreshingly uncrowded Venice where she meets a baby-faced Robert Downey Jr. (whose name is not Damon Bradley) and they fall in love. It’s sweet and silly and the shots of Venice are stunning. –R.M.
Watch now: Rent from $4, amazon.com
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Stealing Beauty (1996)
I was in high school when Bernardo Bertolucci released what I consider his modern-day finest. Liv Tyler is superb as Lucy, who travels to Tuscany to visit family friends after she loses her mother to suicide. She arrives at a lush villa owned by an English artist and his wife; also staying there are an extended group of quirky friends and family—all taken with Lucy, a virgin, who's hoping to reconnect with a boy she fell in love with during her last visit four years ago. Little do they know that Lucy is here for more than the rekindling of a romance—she's discovered clues from her mother's diary as to who her real father is, and Lucy suspects it's one of the men at the villa. Against the backdrop of a phenomenal soundtrack (Liz Phair, Portishead, Mazzy Star, Nina Simone) and the rolling Italian countryside, Lucy's personal journey unspools in dreamy, emotionally poignant fashion. It's the transformative Italian summer experience you wish you had when you were 18. —C.Q.
Watch now: Rent from $4, amazon.com

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Quantum of Solace (2008)
While most film critics will argue Quantum of Solace is not as strong as other Bond films, it's hard to follow a knockout like Casino Royale, which was released just two years before. But if you're in the mood for Bond—or even just Daniel Craig—and want to virtually travel to Italy, Quantum of Solace checks all the right boxes. The film follows Bond as he seeks revenge for a former lover's death (Vesper, played by Eva Green in Casino Royale), and, of course, he discovers a global threat that must be dismantled along the way. There are rooftop chase scenes in Siena, dramatic villas on the shores of Lake Como, and shots of the Tuscan Coast, all of which are gorgeously shot and wholly transportive. —Megan Spurrell, associate editor
Watch now: Free with HBO subscription, hbo.com; Rent from $2, amazon.com

TopicsMovies & Cinema

8 ½ (1963)

The Talented Mr. Ripley (1999)

Bicycle Thieves (1948)

The Godfather (1972)

The Great Beauty (2013)

Suspiria (1977)

The Two Popes (2019)

The Trip to Italy (2014)

Rome, Open City (1945)

Under the Tuscan Sun (2003)

The Omen (1976)

Call Me By Your Name (2017)

Eat Pray Love (2010)

Cinema Paradiso (1990)

The Lizzie McGuire Movie (2003)

Amarcord (1973)

Roman Holiday (1953)

A Bigger Splash (2015)

Life Is Beautiful (1998)

It Started in Naples (1960)

Gomorrah (2008)

Umberto D (1952)

I Am Love (2009)

Chasing Liberty (2004)

La Dolce Vita (1960)

The English Patient (1996)

Juliet of the Spirits (1965)

Enchanted April (1991)

The Voice of the Moon (1990)

Like Crazy (2017)

Letters to Juliet (2010)

A Room With A View (1985)

National Lampoon's European Vacation (1985)

Much Ado About Nothing (1993)

Malena (2000)

Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade (1989)

The Italian Job (1969)

Ocean's Twelve (2004)

Only You (1994)

Stealing Beauty (1996)

Quantum of Solace (2008)

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