The Best Movies & TV Shows Set in Italy

If you're an Italy lover like me, this list is a binge watch of all things Italian!

I don’t know about you, but with all the dooms day stuff going on in America right now, I want to move to Italy more than ever! But since I can’t pack my bags this minute and go, here’s the next best thing… you’re welcome!

My obsession with Italy continues with some of my favorite movies and TV shows set there. I’ve always believed in surrounding myself with my dreams—in fact, "get obsessed" is one of the core steps in my life coaching program, The Centrella Method. When you constantly immerse yourself in what you desire and what brings you joy, you speed up the process of manifesting it. And who doesn’t want that?

Learn more about how to manifest the life you want.

Explore my full list of over 30 movies and shows filmed in Italy.

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Here are my top 5…

#1. Only You (1994)

This is my all-time favorite Italy movie—one I’ve probably watched a hundred times (seriously). It’s the film that first sparked my love of all things Italian and inspired my 2016 trip to Italy with my three children. We even followed the same route—Venice, then Tuscany, ending in Rome. It was pure magic!

#2. Under the Tuscan Sun (2003)

Probably the most well known Italy movie, it’s a classic but still holds up! It’s the movie that implanted the dream of me owning a Tuscan villa and one day splitting my time between the US and Italy.

#3. The White Lotus -Season 2 (2022)

If you haven’t binge watched the White Lotus, who even are you!? It’s available on Prime Video and is totally worth a good binge. Season 2 was filmed in Italy and it’s very well done.

#4. Letters to Juliet (2011)

My kids and I love this movie—it inspired our day trip from Venice to Verona to see Juliet’s statue and leave a letter on the wall. It was one of the most magical days of that trip, the same day we saw Andrea Bocelli perform at the Colosseum in Verona.

#5. A Good Year (2006)

This is a beautifully filmed movie showing the villages and countryside of Tuscany, with a sweet love story.

Favorite Series with a personal connection: Ripley on Netflix. This black and white series came out in 2024 as a limited series, but was actually filmed in 2022 when my daughters and I were in Rome for my first woman’s retreat. My uncle and cousin worked on the show as key grips and we got to watch a few scenes be filmed.

My favorite travel shows with episodes filmed in Italy are Parts Unknown, Giada in Italy, and Searching for Italy.

See my full list of movies and tv shows filmed in Italy.

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What are your favorites? Add them to the comments and I’ll check them out!

About the Author: Sarah Centrella is a multi #1 best-selling author, single mom of three, food and photography lover and avid traveler. Follow my Buona Vita Blog on Instagram.