Venice’s canals, alleys, and unusual architecture make it especially cinematic, which is why several films have cast the city as one of the main characters. If you’re looking for an armchair trip to Venice, you might want to check out these movies to get a glimpse of Venice’s celluloid charisma.
Pan and Tulipanes (Pane and Tulipani)
Provincial mother and homemaker Rosalba takes a bus tour with her family and stays behind at a rest stop along the way. Rather than panic, Rosalba decides to hitchhike to Venice and enjoy a vacation on her own terms. That’s the plot of Pane e Tulipani , a charming little Italian film in which many of Venice’s most famous tourist attractions provide the backdrop for a variety of quirky characters.
Dangerous beauty
This film follows the life of Veronica Franco, one of the most famous in the cortigiane oneste of Venice. In 16th century Venice, “honest courtesans” practicing their trade near the Rialto Bridge were of a higher class than regular prostitutes, required to stimulate their clients intellectually and intimately. Dangerous Beauty is a fascinating look at Venice’s Renaissance, and the city looks even more romantic when accompanied by a cast in period costume.
Summer time
In this 1955 film, Katherine Hepburn plays a single woman from Ohio who travels to Venice for the vacation of her dreams and falls in love with an antique dealer. Many good scenes from Venice.
The Turist
The tourist stars Angelina and Johnny Depp in a romantic thriller that takes place almost entirely in Venice. Although many people did not like the plot, it is a beautiful view of the city of Venice, so the landscape is worth seeing.
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Italian for beginners
This charming Danish film focuses on a group of people taking Italian lessons and traveling to Venice together.
The wings of the dove
Adapted from the Henry James novel of the same name, this film sees the chronically ill American heiress Milly Theale travel to Venice as part of the Grand Tour. While there, Milly becomes entangled in an unusual love triangle. The Wings of the Pigeon was first made into a movie in 1981 in France and again in 1997 in Great Britain.
Death in venice
The most obvious of the Venice-based films is this thriller based on the novel by Thomas Mann. Much of this quiet but haunting drama about a male composer’s forbidden attraction to a teenager takes place on the Lido of Venice, a popular day trip to Venice. Meanwhile, in Venice, a deadly epidemic is spreading. While these plots may not be your typical food for tourist brochures, the haunting mystery of Venice is excellently captured by director Luchino Visconti.
Italian work
In this 2003 thriller filmed in Los Angeles and Venice, a group of thieves team up to steal gold from a former associate. Includes a great boat chase through the canals.
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Moonraker
This 1979 James Bond thriller, partially set in Venice, includes a fantastic chase scene through the canals of Venice with James in a gondola.
Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade
Who can forget Venice’s role in The Last Crusade , the third installment in the Indiana Jones franchise? Venice is one of several places that appear in the explorer’s quest for the Holy Grail, and his quest leads him to the city’s watery catacombs, where he comes across skulls and rats before emerging from a well in the middle of Plaza de San Marcos. Soon after, Indiana Jones and his henchmen are being chased by speedboats through the city’s canals.
