18 July 2026 · CineFood Italia Editorial Team
8 Italian Villages to Discover Thanks to Cinema
From Savoca to Castellabate, Italy's most beautiful villages turned into film sets, with their local specialities.
Cinema has made many small Italian villages immortal. Visiting them means combining two pleasures: walking among the film locations and sitting down to taste the flavours of the territory. Here are eight stops not to miss, from south to north.
South and islands
- Savoca (Sicily) — the alleys of The Godfather and the granita at Bar Vitelli, the village bar that has barely changed since 1971.
- Palazzo Adriano (Sicily) — the scenic Piazza Umberto I, heart of Cinema Paradiso, now also home to a museum dedicated to the film.
- Punta Secca (Sicily) — the house and seafood flavours of Montalbano, between the seafront and fish-based tables.
- Salina (Aeolian Islands) — the atmosphere of Il Postino among prized capers and sweet malvasia wine, on the island where Massimo Troisi shot his final film.
- Castellabate (Cilento) — the comedy of Welcome to the South and fresh fish on the port of Santa Maria di Castellabate.
Centre and North
- Rome — a chapter of its own, from The Great Beauty to Eat Pray Love, with more food locations than any other city on our site.
- Crema (Lombardy) — the suspended summer of Call Me by Your Name, between Piazza del Duomo and tortelli cremaschi.
- Venice — the historic cafés of The Talented Mr. Ripley, starting with Caffè Florian, the oldest in Italy.
Find all the venues of these villages in our directory or on the map. Always check opening hours and availability before setting off.
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Frequently asked questions
▸ Which Italian villages are famous for cinema?
Among others: Savoca (The Godfather), Castellabate (Welcome to the South), Palazzo Adriano (Cinema Paradiso) and Crema (Call Me by Your Name).
▸ Which village is from The Godfather?
Savoca, in the province of Messina, home to the famous Bar Vitelli.
▸ What do you eat in the film villages?
It depends on the region: granita and cannoli in Sicily, buffalo mozzarella in Cilento, tortelli in Lombardy.
▸ Which is the smallest village on this list?
Palazzo Adriano in Sicily and Savoca near Messina are both small villages of just a thousand to two thousand people, yet both have worldwide film fame.
▸ Is it better to visit these film villages in low or high season?
Low season (spring or early autumn) means smaller crowds and more authenticity, especially in the smallest villages like Savoca or Palazzo Adriano, which can get crowded in summer.
📖 Need a ready-made itinerary?
The CineFood Italia PDF Guide: every real venue with address, price and 3 ready-made itineraries, $9.97.
