Roberto Benigni’s film, which is one of the biggest Italian box-office successes of all time and the winner of three Oscars, was filmed between 1 November 1996 and April 1997, mainly in Tuscany and partly in Lazio and Umbria.
The Tuscan city of Arezzo and the surrounding towns provide the main backdrop for the film: iconic are Benigni’s bike rides through the streets of Arezzo, through piazza Grande and down to via Borgunto, where the bookshop Guido runs is located.
Also made famous by the film is Villa Masini in Montevarchi (AR), an Art Deco and liberty-style building that was used as the location for both Dora’s house and the Grand Hotel, where Guido works. We also get a few glimpses of Castiglion Fiorentino (AR), Roberto Benigni’s hometown, where Guido is mistaken for Vittorio Emanuele III and applauded by crowds. Also in the province of Arezzo is Cortona, where Guido meets Dora for the first time at the entrance to the teatro Signorelli.
In the second part of the film, in which we see the protagonists deported, we see the station of Ronciglione (VT), where they depart for the concentration camp, which was actually reconstructed in Papigno (TR), in an abandoned factory where a film studio was subsequently set up.
Roberto Benigni’s film, which is one of the biggest Italian box-office successes of all time and the winner of three Oscars, was filmed between 1 November 1996 and April 1997, mainly in Tuscany and partly in Lazio and Umbria.
The Tuscan city of Arezzo and the surrounding towns provide the main backdrop for the film: iconic are Benigni’s bike rides through the streets of Arezzo, through piazza Grande and down to via Borgunto, where the bookshop Guido runs is located.
Also made famous by the film is Villa Masini in Montevarchi (AR), an Art Deco and liberty-style building that was used as the location for both Dora’s house and the Grand Hotel, where Guido works. We also get a few glimpses of Castiglion Fiorentino (AR), Roberto Benigni’s hometown, where Guido is mistaken for Vittorio Emanuele III and applauded by crowds. Also in the province of Arezzo is Cortona, where Guido meets Dora for the first time at the entrance to the teatro Signorelli.
In the second part of the film, in which we see the protagonists deported, we see the station of Ronciglione (VT), where they depart for the concentration camp, which was actually reconstructed in Papigno (TR), in an abandoned factory where a film studio was subsequently set up.
Melampo Cinematografica, Cecchi Gori Group
The vivacious Guido Orefice comes to Arezzo, where he meets and falls in love with teacher Dora. After doing everything he can to win her over, the pair marry and have a son named Giosuè. Six years later, father and son are deported to a concentration camp, and Dora decides to follow them there despite not being Jewish. It’s the beginning of a struggle for survival for the family, and repeated attempts by Guido to shield his son from the horror.
