A Movie Lover's Guide to Rome

Have your own cinematic adventure with our movie lover's guide to Rome.

From adrenaline pumping chase sequences to delicate romance scenes, the Italian capital is a city that seems almost built for film with gorgeous architecture and charismatic streets on every corner. The likes of Audrey Hepburn, Julia Roberts and Tom Hanks have frequented its landmarks in memorable scenes, find out where some of them are and check them out for yourself with our movie lover's guide to Rome!

Castel Sant'Angelo

The Castel Sant'angelo with all its dramatic architecture and stunning religious iconography plays a backdrop to the heart pounding finale of Angels and Demons. Originally a mausoleum for Emperor Hadrian and his descendants, it has since lived other lives as a castle, a fortress and is now a popular tourist attraction.

Villa Borghese

Elizabeth Gilbert's famous novel Eat, Pray, Love and its famous adaptation starring Julia Roberts is an autobiography about a woman who leaves everything she knows behind after a crippling divorce, setting off to see the best of the world. It's no surprise she stops at Rome and in a mellow scene, orders gelato and wanders the meticulous greenery of Villa Borghese.

Capitoline Museums/Roman Forum

After an incredibly tense and violent arc in the movie The Talented Mr. Ripley, a young Matt Damon takes in a hillside view of what remains of the Roman Forum from Capitoline Hills. He also ventures inside the Capitoline Museums, where the broken pieces of once great statues on display heightens the melancholy tone.

The Spanish Steps

It's hard to forget the sight of Audrey Hepburn, dressed in an iconic crisp white shirt and full skirt, wandering the Spanish Steps with a gelato in hand in Roman Holiday. It's no surprise these beautiful steps play the backdrop to an offbeat romance, with a reporter played by Gregory Peck chasing after Hepburn's Princess Ann to charm her into a news story that will make him rich.

The Pantheon

The location scouts behind Ocean's Twelve went into overdrive finding the perfect places for the heist movie, with scenes filmed everywhere from Berlin to Illinois. With a number of scenes played out in Rome, a particularly early one includes a café in the Pantheon's Piazza della Rotonda where Brad Pitt makes a narrow escape while kickstarting a romance with Catherine Zeta-Jones.

Trevi Fountain

It's no surprise that the Trevi Fountain is a popular location choice for filmmakers, as it practically begs to be filmed with its Baroque details and flowing water. Starring in films such as the epic La Dolce Vita where Anita Ekberg seduces Marcello Mastroianni as well as lower brow movies such as The Lizzie McGuire Movie, where the titular character makes a wish in the fountain, it never fails to capture an audience's imagination.

Coliseum

It's only fitting that a place built for the purpose of spectacle plays a part in many films, including previously mentioned titles like Roman Holiday, Eat Pray Love and Marisa Tomei and Robert Downey Jr's romance Only You. It only takes a quick exterior shot of this massive structure in a film to symbolise Rome and its grand history.