The promised land of Italy is a magnet for attracting hordes of tourists from all over the world who of course head for the wonderful landscapes in Rome, Venice, Florence, Milan and so on but the country also delivers big time when it comes to being shown on the silver screen. Of course there have been countless number of movies shot in Italy and whilst many have been shot in and around major sights like the Colosseum, Pantheon and  Fontana di Trevi this Tokyo Fox top 5 list includes slightly less famous sights which have almost become more famous for the movies filmed on location.

1. Villa del Balbianello, Como – A double-dose of movies were made at this villa in the last decade. First, ‘Star Wars Episode II: Attack Of The Clones‘ (2002) used the place as the Naboo lakeside retreat and then ‘Casino Royale‘ (2006) gave the 007 franchise a kick up the ass with Bond resting-up here at the end of the film. More details here

2. Caserta Palace, Caserta – Located just north of Naples this palace has featured in a few movies now. These include ‘Mission Impossible III‘ (2006), ‘Angels & Demons‘ (2009) and ‘Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace‘ (1999) with the main staircase being seen in the latter two. It portrayed the Vatican City in the former two and was the setting for Queen Amidala’s Royal Palace on Naboo in Star Wars. More details here

3. Hotel Danielli, Venice – This hotel first came to prominence (movie-wise!) in the 1979 007 film ‘Moonraker’ starring Roger Moore as the secret agent. It would be featured 31 years later in the less memorable ‘The Tourist‘ starring Johnny Depp and Angelina Jolie and also featuring Moore’s successor Timothy Dalton. How’s that for a slightly tenuous link! More details here

4. Bocca della Verita, Rome – Providing the most famous scene in ‘Roman Holiday‘ (1954) where Joe pulled his hand out of the ‘mouth of truth’ with his hand up his sleeve astonishing Ann. Be aware that the line’s for the photo opportunity can be very long so it’s worth getting there early. More details here

5. Chiesa di San Barnaba, Venice – Located in the midst of the maze that is Venice streets and canal’s you may get lost trying to locate this one but if you’re a fan of  ‘Indiana Jones & The Last Crusade‘ (1989) then it’s worth it. Indy and co walk across a nearby bridge and then enter the church which is a library in the film. Indy goes inside (probably not paying the expensive entrance fee!) and finds an important clue relating to the numeral ‘X’. More details here