Florence and Cinema: the great films shot in the city

Passionate and romantic are the tributes of the city and its surroundings, captured by directors Jane Campion in “The Portrait of a Lady” and James Ivory in “A Room With a View.” The latter, based on the short story by English writer E. M. Forster, depicts the passion that the citizens of the United Kingdom have had for the city of the lily since the 1800s. Florence was once a favored destination on the 19ᵗʰ-century Grand Tour. In the mid-19ᵗʰ century, there was a large Anglo-Saxon community in the city, comprised of writers, poets, painters, art lovers and postcard-perfect countryside, typical of the hills rising around the edge of the city center. 

Precisely the picture-postcard Florence captured in Franco Zeffirelli’s “Tea with Mussolini”, recounting the quiet life in the city of a group of English ladies before World War II, the changes brought about by the war and, finally, the Liberation. Memorable scenes from the film are backdropped by Piazza della Signoria, the Uffizi Gallery and the Gipsoteca (plaster cast gallery) of the Art School of the Porta Romana.

Since the mid-1990s, cinema shot in Florence has also been from the lighthearted and irreverent viewpoint of Leonardo Pieraccioni, a Florentine local, who pays homage to Florence in many of his films, for example, in “The Graduates,” “Fireworks ,” “Me and Marilyn,” “Il Sesso degli Angeli” (“The Sex of the Angels”) to name but a few.

Florentines, as is well known, are quick to make fun of the powerful and travel companions alike, without distinction. A Tuscan sense of humor that, in cinema, has its roots in Monicelli’s cult film “My Friends,” a 1975 film that was followed by 2 more films in the saga and a final film in 2011 that recalls the characters, “Amici miei, come tutto ebbe inizio” (“My friends: How It All Began”) by Neri Parenti. From the “My Friends” series, how can we forget the well-known and hilarious scene of the slaps that the “guasconi” (slang for “roguish pranksters”), as part of their “zingarate” (pranks), would land on the cheeks of passengers sticking their heads out of the train windows, departing from Florence’s Santa Maria Novella station? Via dei Bardi, the Lungarni (the Arno river embankments) and the historic Odeon Cinema were likewise the setting for pranks and gags, as funny as they were cruel.

Florence is a city with a great past that is still zoomed in on the future in films set in the present day. In “Some Say No” by Giambattista Avellino, 3 young graduates struggle against university magnateships and recommendations for jobs. In Federico Bondi’s “Black Sea,” rather, it is the Florence suburbs—such as Gavinana and its shopping malls—that is shot, even entering the homes of ordinary people. In one such home, a relationship of deep and sincere friendship is born between an elderly Florentine lady and her Romanian caregiver. Among the places of modernity, cinema still finds ways to tell stories of profound humanity.

Also known as the “cradle of the Renaissance,” Florence has appeared numerous times in international film productions. Michael Bay’s adrenaline-fueled action movie “6 Underground” starring Ryan Reynolds, transformed Florence into a racetrack, with explosive chases throughout the city center, involving the riverbank of Lungarno Anna Maria Luisa de’ Medici, the Uffizi, Ponte Vecchio, Piazza della Signoria then moving to Santissima Annunziata and Piazza Santa Maria Novella.

The history of Florence and the rise of the most important and powerful Florentine family ever, the Medici, has been celebrated on the small screen with the international TV series “The Medici - Masters of Florence,” created by Frank Spotnitz and Nicholas Meyer. Filming of the series took place in the historical sites of the city, such as Palazzo Medici Riccardi and the San Lorenzo Basilica before moving on to Pienza (Palazzo Piccolomini), Montepulciano (Piazza Grande, the Duomo), Pistoia, Volterra, Val d’Orcia and the Castello di Oliveto in Castelfiorentino.

The timeless authenticity and beauty of Florence allowed the production of the hugely successful Rai TV series “My Brilliant Friend” to set some scenes for the 3ʳᵈ season in the Tuscan capital, stepping back into the Florence of the 1970s. The 3ʳᵈ season, History of Those Who Flee and Those Who Stay, shows the pair of friends in the midst of their maturity and, to tell the story of Lenù’s adventures starting in episode 4, takes us to the historic center of Florence where, after graduating and publishing a novel, she moves to marry Pietro, a young university professor.

Director Francesca Archibugi chose Florence to shoot certain scenes for the dramatic film “The Hummingbird,” starring Pierfrancesco Favino. The set captured several squares in the city center, including Piazza del Carmine, Piazza Santa Croce, Piazza del Mercato Nuovo, Piazza San Pier Maggiore and Piazza Stazione.

Among the most recent productions is the Netflix TV series “The Monster of Florence” by Stefano Sollima, which recounts heinous events that have marked the life of the city of Florence since the 1980s and soon became national news that still attracts a great deal of attention and buzz today. The miniseries does not faithfully reconstruct the events, instead focusing on one of the many leads that were followed during the years of investigation. Filming took place in multiple Florentine locations, scattered throughout various municipalities, including Signa, San Casciano in Val di Pesa, Campi Bisenzio and Mercatale. 

“From Scratch” is the title of the Netflix TV series directed by Nzingha Stewart, starring Zoe Saldaña and filmed in Florence, including the Santa Croce Basilica and the square in front of it, Santo Spirito, Lungarno Vespucci, Piazza San Pier Maggio, Piazza Ognissanti, Palazzo Corsini, Piazza del Mercato Nuovo, Piazza del Carmine, the San Salvi Church, the Santa Monca Church and the Oltrarno area, all the way to Piazzale Michelangelo.

 Florence was also selected for the production of the “Gabriel’s Redemption” series for the Passionflix platform, the 3ʳᵈ installment of the “Gabriel’s Inferno” trilogy directed and produced by Tosca Musk (also known for being the sister of multi-billionaire Elon Musk), which features Italian actor Giulio Berruti and Australian actress Melanie Zanetti in the cast. Among the locations chosen were Piazza della Signoria, Piazza del Duomo, the Uffizi Gallery, Gucci Giardino 25, Gallery Hotel Art, the Certosa di Firenze and the Dimora Ghirlandaio in Impruneta.

Productions for the small and big screen did not overlook an exceptional Florentine, Italy’s greatest astrophysicist, Margherita Hack, who was not only a woman of science but also an important model of female empowerment. Her greatness was celebrated with the Rai TV film “Margherita Hack - The Lady Of The Stars” directed by Giulio Base and starring Cristiana Capotondi. The set involved several Florentine locations, including Piazza Santa Croce and San Miniato.

“Margherita - La Voce Delle Stelle” (“Margherita - Voice of the Stars”) is the title of Samuele Rossi’s documentary, also dedicated to the great Florentine scientist, filmed also in the Galileo Museum and Teatro Puccini. The documentary reconstructs the life of Margherita Hack, a free and nonconformist woman, sincere to the point of provocation, athletic, passionate about life, curious and experimental. The story in pictures is accompanied by previously unpublished archive material and numerous testimonies from those who had the privilege of having her as a teacher, professional guide or simply friend.

A film selection produced in collaboration with the Toscana Film Commission, which supports film and audiovisual productions shooting in the region.