5 movies, cities and outfits to experience the Italian summer (2024)

Thanks to the popularity of hashtags like #europeansummeroutfit and#tomatogirls, the Italian summer is back in the spotlight. Generation Z and foreign tourists dream of a nostalgic summer riding a Vespa, eating focaccia and baked pasta under a parasol, playing with a ball in the sand or sharing a Sammontana ice cream with their first love. These typically Italian and somewhat nostalgic July and August summers have become imprinted in the collective imagination and are recounted again and again by national and international cinema in more or less iconic films. From Roman Holiday to Call me by your name, from It Started in Naples to Eat Pray Love, from A Bigger Splash to The Talented Mr. Ripley, there are many titles that evoke this unique atmosphere.

G-club has chosen them for you:5 movies, 5 cities and 5 outfits to dive into the Italian summer.

A Bigger Splash

Luca GuadagninorevisitsLe Piscine, the 1969 cult movie starring Romy Schneider, and turns it into aDavid Hockneypainting of"sex, suspense and the Mediterranean Sea". The protagonists of this thriller move around the beautiful and sunny Pantelleria: Marianne Lane(Tilda Swinton), a rock star who is vacationing on the island with her boyfriend Paul (Matthias Schoenaerts) to recover from vocal cord surgery; Harry (Ralph Fiennes), the woman's ex, and his daughter Penelope (Dakota Johnson). The plus detail? Tilda Swinton, wearingDior by Raf Simons.

Pantelleria

ABigger Splashisa modern ode to Sicily, to theMediterranean aestheticand the volcanic island ofPantelleria. Watching the film you almost seem to smell the scent of orange blossoms, saltiness and fish. You cannot dream of a summer spent between lazy afternoons by the pool, mud baths in theLake of Venus, swimming under theArch of the Elephant, walks through the gardens of Pantelleria, karaoke in the bars ofScauriand tastings of freshly made hot ricotta. The dammuso that hosts Tilda Swinton and the other protagonists is inTenuta Borgia, a group of houses for rent in the southwest of the island.

Outfits

La Prima Cosa Bella

DirectorPaolo Virzìand actressMicaela Ramazzottitake us on a long journey back in time in the relationship between two children and a mother, beautiful, outgoing, dreamer, victim of a jealous husband, an envious sister and a narrow-minded Italian province full of gossip.

Livorno

While we discover the origins of the troubled relationship between the main characters of the movie, we also discover the city ofLivorno. Scene after scene, we travel between theTerrazza Mascagniwith its characteristic checkered floor and wonderful view;Palazzo del Portuale; the neighborhood of Venezia Nuova with its small streets, historic buildings and theFossi Medicei; Bagni Pancaldi Acquaviva; and the beach ofCastiglioncello.

Outfits

Travolti da un insolito destino nell'azzurro mare d'agosto

A classic of Italian cinemastarringMariangela Melatoin the role of the very rich, snob and super chic Raffaella Pavoni Lanzetti, wife of a Milanese businessman on a cruise off the coast of Sardinia with a group of friends. During the trip, the woman continues to mistreat the crew with an attitude of superiority and, in particular, the sailor Gennarino Carunchio (Giancarlo Giannini). When the two are shipwrecked on a desert island, the situation changes and the man vents years of socio-economic frustration on Raffaella, until the rancor turns into passion.

A fun fact: Melato's sarong and black costume were part of the personal wardrobe ofLina Wertmüller, the director of the film.

Orosei

For the movie, Wertmüller chose the uncontaminated and wild landscapes of the eastern coast ofSardinia. TheGulf of Orosei, in the province ofNuoro, with its glimpses of absolute beauty, seems like a paradise on earth: from the rocky walls ofCala Gononeto the crystalline waters ofCala Fuili, from the beach ofCala Lunacolored by the white and pink petals of oleanders toCapo Cominowith its white sand between the dunes, the same sand on which Giancarlo Giannini and Mariangela Melato passionately rolled.

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Letters to Juliet

It's almost impossible that you haven't watched thisclassic 2000s comedystarringAmanda Seyfriedas Sophie, a young journalist following her chef boyfriend to Italy. The first stop on their journey is Verona where she responds to a letter, found within the walls of Juliet's house, written 50 years earlier by a woman named Claire to her beloved Lorenzo. Claire, who in the meantime has become elderly, joins Sophie with her nephew and the three of them set out to find the woman's lost first love. This is the movie for you if you're looking for an hour and a half of light romance and inspiration for a number ofnormcore summer looks.

Verona

The location that is the center of Sophie's Italian adventure isJuliet's housein Via Cappello in Verona, where, according to legend, the famous Shakespearean heroine lived. The building, with its characteristic balcony, has become the favorite destination of tourists and lovers, but it is not the only interesting place in the city to discover. Some tips? Eat ice cream inPiazza delle Erbe, walk on thePonte Scaligeroover the Adda river, get lost in the alleys of the Jewish quarter or visit the impressiveArena di Verona.

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TheIncredible Story Of Rose Island

Netflixbrings to the screen the true story ofGiorgio Rosa, a young engineer who in 1968 built a platform in the middle of the sea, off the coast of Rimini, outside of territorial waters, and turned it into a small independent state with even its own language and currency. The movie, starringElio GermanoandMatilda De Angelis, depicts the project, which began as Rosa's attempt to get noticed by a former girlfriend, as if it were a hybrid of fairy tale and utopia, the dream of a generation in search of its place in the world and a bit of fun.

Rimini

Although the movie is set partly inRimini, its real shooting took place between Rome, Cogne and Malta, where the platform ofthe Isle of Roseswas built inside the largest filming pool in Europe. The final result, however, makes you dream of the seaside resorts, the famousGrand Hotel, the piadina, the beaches, the sea, the desire for freedom and fun of theRomagna Riviera.

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