We (Tim and Lily) are artisans living in Tuscany, Italy. Americans by birth, in 2001, (just after Bush jr. conned his way into the presidency), we moved to Italy. Lily, determined to find a way for us to legally remain, worked with her father back in the States to have their Italian citizenship recognized by ancestry.
Once that rather arduous task was accomplished, we were legit. Italy became our full-time home. In the years since, we have created a bubble for ourselves that floats somewhere between the two cultures. Ital-Americana. A merging. A foot in each culture. We haven’t gone back to the states for 20+ years, but as a couple who live and work together, it’s not as if we left our “American-ness” behind. It’s just our location that has changed really, the backdrop to our day-to-day lives.
The films we’ve included below are mostly “about” Italy, rather than a list of classic “must see” Italian films. We’ve included only films and series that we’ve actually seen and enjoyed. If it wasn’t enjoyable to us, we didn’t add it.
If you know of a film that should be on this list, by all means please tell us!
Once Upon a Time in Polizzi (2005) Full Documentary
A real find! This documentary follows well known character actor Vincent Schiavelli (you’ll recognize his face from over 120 films including “One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest” and “The People vs. Larry Flynt”) as he returns to retire in Polizzi Generosa, the very village in Sicily his grandparents emigrated from in 1901. (In English with […]
Tommaso – 2019 Film
The story of an American artist (Willem Dafoe) living in Rome with his young European wife Nikki and their 3-year-old daughter, Dee Dee. Disoriented by his past misgivings and subsequent, unexpected blows to his self esteem, Tommaso wades through this late chapter of his life with an increasingly impaired grasp on reality as he prepares […]
The Burnt Orange Heresy – 2020 Film
Charismatic art critic James Figueras and his American lover travel to the lavish Lake Como estate of powerful art collector, Joseph Cassidy. Their host reveals he is the patron of Jerome Debney, the reclusive J.D. Salinger of the art world, and he has a simple request: for James to steal a Debney masterpiece from the […]
Don’t Look Now – 1973 Film
A married couple grieving the recent death of their young daughter are in Venice when they encounter two elderly sisters, one of whom is psychic and brings a warning from beyond.
The Red Violin – 1998 Film
A wonderful film! A red-colored violin inspires passion, making its way through three centuries over several owners and countries, eventually ending up at an auction where it may find a new owner.
Italy Unpacked (BBC Travel – Complete Series)
One of our favorites! British art critic Andrew Graham-Dixon and Italian chef Giorgio Locatelli explore the varied regions of Italy, sharing with each other their knowledge of the country’s culture and cuisine.
Rome (TV Series 2005 – 2007)
Rome is a British-American-Italian historical drama television series. It is set in the 1st century BC, during Ancient Rome’s transition from Republic to Empire. And while one would think that Roman soldiers with British accents might be off-putting I absolutely LOVED this series (each time I watched it).
The Medici: Makers of Modern Art – 2008 Full Documentary
Andrew Graham-Dixon reveals how the Medici family transformed Florence through sculpture, painting and architecture and created a world where masterpieces fetch millions today. Without the money and patronage of the Medici we might never have heard of artists such as Donatello, Michelangelo or Botticelli, and Graham-Dixon examines how a family of shadowy, corrupt businessmen, driven […]
Great Cathedral Mystery: Santa Maria del Fiore (Florence) 2014 Full Documentary
From PBS – The dome that crowns Florence’s great cathedral of Santa Maria del Fiore — the Duomo — is a masterpiece of Renaissance ingenuity and an enduring source of mystery. Still the largest masonry dome on earth, it is taller than the Statue of Liberty and weighs as much as an average cruise ship. […]
The Talented Mr. Ripley – 1999 Film
In late 1950s New York, Tom Ripley, a young underachiever, is sent to Italy to retrieve Dickie Greenleaf, a rich and spoiled millionaire playboy. But when the errand fails, Ripley takes extreme measures.
Amanda Knox – 2016 Netflix Film
A Netflix documentary. Amanda Knox is a 2016 American documentary film about Amanda Knox, twice convicted and later acquitted of the 2007 murder of Meredith Kercher. It premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival on September 10, 2016 and on Netflix on September 30, 2016.
The Face of an Angel – 2014 Film
This film is based on the real-life story of American college student Amanda Knox who was convicted and then acquitted in the murder of her British roommate Meredith Kercher in Italy.
I Am Love (Io sono l’amore) – 2009 Film
A beautifully made film, and one of Tilda Swinton’s best. Filmed in Milan and in-and-around Sanremo in Liguria. Dialogue is a mix of English and Italian. Emma left Russia to live with her husband in Italy. Now a member of a powerful industrial family, she is the respected mother of three, but feels unfulfilled. One […]
Certified Copy – 2010 Film
In Tuscany to promote his latest book, a middle-aged British writer meets a French woman who leads him to the village of Lucignano. While there, a chance question reveals something deeper.
To Rome With Love – 2012 Film
Four tales unfold in the Eternal City: While vacationing in Rome, architect John (Alec Baldwin) encounters a young man whose romantic woes remind him of a painful incident from his own youth; retired opera director Jerry (Woody Allen) discovers a mortician with an amazing voice, and he seizes the opportunity to rejuvenate his own flagging […]
Eat Pray Love – 2010 Film
A married woman realizes how unhappy her marriage really is, and that her life needs to go in a different direction. After a painful divorce, she takes off on a round-the-world journey to “find herself”.
The English Patient – 1996 Film
Winner of 9 Academy awards. Set in Italy and Egypt (though the dazzling desertscapes are in fact Tunisia) at the close of World War II. A young nurse tends to a badly-burned plane crash victim. His past is shown in flashbacks, revealing an involvement in a fateful love affair.
A Bigger Splash – 2015 Film
The vacation of a famous rock star and her boyfriend in Italy is disrupted by the unexpected visit of an old friend and his daughter.
Call Me by Your Name (2017 Film)
It’s the summer of 1983, and precocious 17-year-old Elio Perlman is spending the days with his family at their 17th-century villa in Lombardy, Italy. He soon meets Oliver, a handsome doctoral student who’s working as an intern for Elio’s father. Amid the sun-drenched splendor of their surroundings, Elio and Oliver discover the heady beauty of […]
Third Person – 2013 Film
Three interlocking love stories involving three couples in three cities: Rome, Paris, and New York.
Passione – 2010 (A John Turturro Film)
Actor/director John Turturro returns to his family’s roots in Naples, Italy to direct and narrate this fascinating film. We saw its Italian premier in Florence, which was attended by Turturro. Synopsis: A look at the musical roots and traditions of Naples, Italy, as well as its influence on the rest of the world.
Tea with Mussolini – 1999 Full Film
Filmed in Florence and San Gimignano, Italy and around Tuscany. Director: Franco Zaffirelli An orphaned Italian boy is raised amongst a circle of British and American women living in Mussolini’s Italy before and during World War II.
Nine – 2009 Film
Italian film director Guido Contini (Daniel Day-Lewis) grapples with epic crises in his personal and professional lives. At the same time, he must strike a balance of the demands of numerous women in his life, including his wife (Marion Cotillard), his mistress (Penélope Cruz), and his confidant (Judi Dench).
The Portrait of a Lady – 1996 Film
An American girl inherits a fortune and falls into a misguided relationship with a gentleman confidence artist whose true nature, including a barbed and covetous disposition, turns her life into a nightmare.
Stealing Beauty – 1996 Film
After her mother commits suicide, a young woman travels to Italy in search of love, truth and a deeper connection with herself.
A Room with a View – 1985 Film
In a Florence pensione circa 1900 with English guests, George Emerson (Julian Sands) and his dad (Denholm Elliott) offer their rooms with views to Lucy Honeychurch (Helena Bonham Carter) and her chaperone, Charlotte Bartlett (Dame Maggie Smith). Lucy and George get acquainted, but Lucy returns to England. George and Lucy meet again, but now she’s […]
Ripley’s Game – 2002 Film
A dying family man in need of money is persuaded to assassinate a European crime boss.
The Trip to Italy – 2014 Film
Two men, six meals in six different places on a road trip around Italy. Liguria, Tuscany, Rome, Amalfi and ending in Capri.
The Merchant of Venice – 2004 (Full Film)
In 16th century Venice, when a merchant must default on a large loan from an abused Jewish moneylender for a friend with romantic ambitions, the bitterly vengeful creditor demands a gruesome payment instead.
Death in Venice – 1971 Film
While recovering in Venice, sickly Composer Gustav von Aschenbach becomes dangerously fixated with teenager Tadzio.
Miracle at St. Anna – 2008 Film
Did we enjoy this one? I’d say it’s a far cry from Spike Lee’s earliest work although it did have its moments. And it was filmed and is set in the hills above where we live on the coast of Tuscany so it gets points for that. During World War II, members of the U.S. […]
