Rome at the Movies: Filming Locations from Roman Holiday to La Dolce Vita

The historic centre: the sets of Roman Holiday and La Dolce Vita

The Mouth of Truth: the most famous scene in Roman Holiday

In Roman Holiday (1953), by William Wyler, Princess Ann (Audrey Hepburn) and the journalist Joe Bradley (Gregory Peck) put their hands into the Mouth of Truth, the marble mask in the portico of Santa Maria in Cosmedin. Joe pretends to be bitten. The mask can be seen free of charge, but the queue can be long: all the details are in our page on the Mouth of Truth.

The Spanish Steps: Audrey Hepburn's gelato

In the same film, the princess sits on the steps of Trinità dei Monti with an ice cream in her hand. Today it is forbidden to sit on the steps, and a municipal rule provides for fines. Enjoy the view from the top of the staircase, then walk down the Piazza di Spagna towards Via Condotti.

The Trevi Fountain: Anita Ekberg and La Dolce Vita

The scene where Anita Ekberg steps into the water in an evening gown, calling to Marcello Mastroianni, is the most famous moment of La Dolce Vita (1960), by Federico Fellini. Bathing in the Trevi Fountain is of course forbidden today. The film Three Coins in the Fountain (1954) also helped establish the tradition of tossing a coin. To avoid the crowds, come at dawn or late at night.

The Colosseum and the Forum: ancient Rome at the movies

The Colosseum is a natural film set, seen sometimes in ruins, sometimes reconstructed by computer. The big ancient epics, for their part, were mostly shot in studios: to find a cinematic ancient Rome, visit the sets preserved at Cinecittà, below.

EUR: the district of Fellini and Bertolucci

The white avenues of the EUR district have served as a backdrop for science-fiction, unsettling and satirical films: Bertolucci shot scenes of The Conformist (1970) around its monumental buildings, and Fellini shot the episode The Temptation of Doctor Antonio of Boccaccio '70 (1962) there, in which an immense advertising billboard takes over the landscape. In EUR you are at once in a real district and in a film set: see our page for the route.

Coppedè: a Gothic and fantastical atmosphere

The Coppedè district, north of the centre, with its Baroque, Art Nouveau and medieval facades, has often attracted Italian horror cinema, in particular the films of Dario Argento. Look for the Fountain of the Frogs and the monumental arch on Via Dora.

Cinecittà: visiting the studios

To understand how these films were made, go to Cinecittà, on Via Tuscolana. Open since 1937, Europe's largest studio has hosted Ben-Hur, Fellini's films and the series Rome. The "Cinecittà si Mostra" tour lets you walk through the ancient Rome sets preserved from the series. Open every day except Tuesday.

A route for one day

1. Morning: the Mouth of Truth, then the climb towards the Colosseum and the Forum.
2. Midday: lunch in the centre, then the Spanish Steps and the Trevi Fountain.
3. Afternoon: metro to EUR, or to Cinecittà (the two are best visited on two separate half-days).

For getting around, see our guide to transport in Rome.

Summary: the filming locations

Going further

To fit these places into a stay, see our weekend in Rome or the Rome in 3 days itinerary. Cinecittà and the Museum of Civilisations in EUR also suit a rainy day in Rome.