From silent film to the present — the country that gave cinema neorealism, spaghetti westerns, and Fellini.
Plan your Italy trip →Neorealism (1943-1955): Roberto Rossellini, Vittorio De Sica, Luchino Visconti. Shot on real streets with non-actors. Films about poverty, war, and survival that invented modern cinema. See our neorealism guide.
Auteur era (1960s-70s): Federico Fellini (La Dolce Vita, 8½, Amarcord), Michelangelo Antonioni (L'Avventura, Blow-Up), Pier Paolo Pasolini (The Gospel According to St. Matthew), Bernardo Bertolucci (The Conformist, Last Tango in Paris). Italian directors dominated world cinema for two decades.
Genre cinema (1960s-80s): Spaghetti westerns (Sergio Leone), giallo horror (Dario Argento, Mario Bava), commedia all'italiana (Alberto Sordi, Vittorio Gassman). Italy produced more films per year than any country except India.
Modern era: Paolo Sorrentino (La Grande Bellezza, The Young Pope), Matteo Garrone (Gomorra, Dogman), Alice Rohrwacher (Lazzaro Felice). Italian cinema is smaller now but still producing globally significant work.
Rome's legendary film studios (est. 1937). Fellini practically lived here. Ben-Hur, Cleopatra, and countless Italian classics were shot on its stages. Cinecittà Studios tour (€15) shows the permanent sets, costume archive, and Fellini exhibition. A pilgrimage for film lovers.
We plan trips that go deeper than sightseeing — into the culture that makes Italy unforgettable.
Plan free →