It is hard to find something that will make you feel so excited about the sights and sounds in Italy before your next river cruise. Nothing can do this better than a few scenes from some of Italy’s most famous movies. These films will bring to life the sights and sounds it offers, from the steamy sultriness in Rome in the Sixties in La Dolce Vita through the cultural clash of British reserve and Italian passion in A Room With a View. This is all without ever leaving your living space.
Life is Beautiful (La Vita e Bella)
Roberto Benigni’s Oscar-winning movie about a father trying to protect his son from the horrors and horrors of World War Two is set in stunning Italy. The film is set in an unnamed Tuscan town. A man who refuses to take life too seriously uses his whimsical nature when he and his son are interned in a concentration camp.
Bread and Tulips (Pane e Tulipani)
In the gentle romantic comedy Bread and Tulips directed by Silvio Soldini, Venice seems to be a character. A woman is abandoned on a family vacation to Venice, but she doesn’t worry about her abandonment and sets up her home in the city. She not only finds work and a new way of life, but she also discovers her passion for life. What will she do if her family starts to miss her and return to the city to search for her? This film is a wonderful reminder to stay close to your friends on your next Italian river cruise.
La Dolce Vita
Federico Fellini’s La Dolce Vita is the iconic film about Rome in Sixties. It exudes sensual Italian passion. Marcello Mastroianni plays the dissatisfied journalist who flits between relationships in search of meaning in a world obsessed with wild living, beauty, and image.
A Room With a View
A Room With a View, which is the exact opposite of La Dolce Vita’s sultry scenes, features stunning cinematography of Florence and the Tuscan countryside. It is about English repression in the early 20th century. The Italian scenes in this coming-of-age film juxtapose the Latin passion of Italy with the stiff-upper-lip repression of an English young man before the eyes and eyes of an English girl.
Six Venices (Sei Venezia)
Carlo Mazzacurati, an Italian filmmaker, presents a fascinating documentary that shows Venice from the perspective of six of its residents. The six perspectives of these individuals give a rare insight into what it is like to live and work here, from an artist to an ex-con-turned-chef.
These movies will get you ready for your Italian river cruise. You can stream the films online, buy them on DVDs or go to a local cinema that has them. These movies will inspire you to embark on your next adventure in Italy.