The Ultimate Guide to Rome Filming Locations

If you’re a film fan planning a city break to Rome, then you’re probably going to check out some top Rome filming locations. Well, I’ve got good news for you! There’s no need to head to anywhere else on the internet for all the information on popular film locations in Rome. Because I’ve basically visited and written about them all! 

I last visited Rome in May/June 2018 and spent most of my trip hunting down film locations in Rome with the same tenacity Robert Langdon has when he hunts down the truth behind religious conspiracies. That’s a little in-joke for all you The Da Vinci Code Trilogy fans out there.

I’ve written detailed, extensive guides on Roman Holiday (1953), La Dolce Vita (1960), Angels and Demons (2009), Eat Pray Love (2010), To Rome with Love (2012) and a separate guide to random Hollywood films that shot a couple of scenes in Rome. So no, if you happen to be a diehard fan of Bicycle Thieves (1948) then I can’t really help you. But for the rest of you, here is the ultimate Rome filming locations guide you never knew you needed!

If you have any questions at all about any of these films or filming locations, just leave me a comment and I’ll get back to you! I’m always happy to help fellow film nerds make their film-inspired dreams a reality. 

The Ultimate Guide to Rome Filming Locations

1. Roman Holiday (1953)

The first stop on our journey through Rome via the medium of film is, of course, Roman Holiday. This is the OG travel-inspiring film made in Rome. Who wouldn’t want to be Audrey Hepburn as a European Princess trying to experience the ‘real’ Rome for the day? With the help of Gregory Peck as an American Journalist living in Rome, of course.

Luckily, a lot of Roman Holiday filming locations are already popular things to do in Rome. She rides a Vespa through Piazza Venezia, tastes gelato on the Spanish steps and takes a guided tour in the Colosseum. You could enjoy a pretty great Roman holiday of your own simply by using this film to plan your whole trip!

Read my guide:

Roman Holiday Filming Locations in Rome, Italy

2. La Dolce Vita (1960)

Scroll through the Rome listings on Airbnb and it won’t take you long to find one that describes the apartment as the perfect home to ‘live la dolce vita’ during your trip. “Stay in our two-bedroom detached home with a balcony! Live la dolce vita!” And while I’m sure it’s a saying that existed before Fellini’s La Dolce Vita (meaning The Sweet Life or The Good Life), the film brought it to an international audience.

La Dolce Vita’s main protagonist, a tabloid journalist called Marcello, spends his life chasing after the next story (and women) around the nightclubs, fancy estates and the streets of Rome by night, including an infamous dip in the Trevi fountain.

Read my guide:

La Dolce Vita Filming Locations in Rome, Italy

3. Angels and Demons (2009)

After the success of The Da Vinci Code in 2006, Professor Robert Langdon returned in Angels and Demons for another quest into religious conspiracy theories. This time, he assisted the Vatican in rescuing four kidnapped cardinals and finding a vile of anti-matter which could explore and kill everyone in Vatican City. And of course, he needed the help of Galileo and other secret Illuminati members to crack the code!

I absolutely adore Angels and Demons much more than I should and apparently much more than the Catholic Church. The production did not receive permission to film in the churches and religious sites featured in the script, so a lot is CGI magic. However, you haven’t p*ssed off the Catholic Church! So you’re a-okay to visit all the Angels and Demons filming locations including the Pantheon and Piazza Navona, to your heart’s content.

Read my guide:

Angels and Demons Filming Locations in Rome

4. Eat Pray Love (2010)

Films and books about ‘finding yourself’ and ‘taking a year off’ may be quite cliché now, but Eat Pray Love is basically the reason why they’re a cliché, it’s the OG ‘finding yourself’ story! Originally a best-selling memoir, Eat Pray Love follows author Elizabeth Gilbert’s year where she spent four months in Rome (eat), four months in an Ashram in India (pray) and four months in Bali (love).

Considering only a short portion of the film is set in Rome, Liz sure gets around the city! If you too are enchanted by Liz’ life in Rome, you might want to visit her apartment near Piazza Navona and the famous bench where she eats gelato sitting next to a couple of Nuns. They’re all in my Eat Pray Love locations guide! Believe it or not, most of the Rome filming locations I get asked about the most are from Eay Pray Love. The movie may have been critically-panned but it has a loyal, travel-loving audience.

Read my guide:

Eat Pray Love Filming Locations in Rome (and Naples)

5. To Rome with Love (2012)

A film that probably has the most Rome filming locations out of any other film in existence is To Rome with Love. This locations guide took far longer to research and write than any other because there are at least 40 filming locations around Rome and the outskirts of the city. Madness!!

To Rome with Love has four, unrelated storylines about people going about their day-to-day lives in Rome. Some are just visiting on holiday, some are studying in Rome, some live in the city… It’s a mixed bag! I can’t imagine many people are too bothered about going on a To Rome with Love filming locations pilgrimage especially since the film’s director, Woody Allen, is problematic at best. But if you do, then you’re welcome!

Read my guide:

To Rome with Love Filming Locations in Rome (duh)

6. Random Filming Locations from Hollywood Films

And finally, I wrote an entire guide about all the random Hollywood/American films that partly featured scenes in Rome. I’m talking about films like Spectre (2015) and Eurotrip (2004) where one or two scenes are shot and set in Rome but not the majority like Angels and Demons. Just the hangers-on which I’ve piled into one post that didn’t warrant their own entire guide.

In this guide, you can find all your favourite filming locations in Rome from movies like Only You (1994), Mission: Impossible (2006), Zoolander 2 (2016) and many more!

Read my guide:

Hollywood Film Locations in Rome: Eurotrip, Zoolander 2 & More!

And those are all of the top Rome filming locations! Are you planning a trip to Rome or have you visited any of these film locations in Rome? Let me know in the comments below!

Read next:

19 Top Films set in Rome to Watch Before Your Trip