Lights, camera, action! When the Siena area becomes a film set

Oscar-winning settings

One of the most famous films shot in the Siena area was “Gladiator”, winner of 5 Oscars in 2001. The splendid landscape of the Val d’Orcia, with its rows of cypresses and fields of wheat, was used as the setting for the home of the main character. And it was also here, between San Quirico d’Orcia and Pienza, that Ridley Scott shot the final sequence set in the Elysian Fields.
Another award-winning film set in the Siena area was “The English Patient” (1996) by Anthony Minghella. Indeed, the evocative Monastery of Sant’Anna in Camprena served as the focal point for the flashbacks which formed the basis of the narrative. Minghella also used the central square in Pienza as the setting for the party to celebrate the end of the war. In 1968, Franco Zeffirelli used Palazzo Piccolomini, near Piazza Pio II, as the home of the Capulet family in his film adaptation of “Romeo and Juliet”.
On the other hand, the Sienese countryside formed the backdrop for “Io Ballo da Sola” (I Dance Alone) by Bernardo Bertolucci (1996). If you want to explore the film’s locations, the most significant places are the Villa di Geggiano in Castelnuovo Berardenga, the Castello di Brolio in Gaiole in Chianti and the Terme di Acqua Borra.
In “Quantum of Solace” (2008), cinema’s most famous secret agent paid a visit to Siena. Film-goers will remember the exciting chase over the roofs of the old city centre, and the daring escape during the Palio in Piazza del Campo.
Fans of the “Twilight Saga”, on the other hand, will definitely want to visit Montepulciano. If you go to Piazza Grande, you will soon recognise the setting for the moving embrace between Edward and Bella in “New Moon” (2009).

San Gimignano, a town in fancy dress

Perched on a hill and with its 14 towers etched against the skyline, San Gimignano is one of cinema’s favourite villages in the Siena area. Although it has its own special charm, the town has often been used to represent other places. “Obsession” by Brian de Palma features shots of the frescoes in the Collegiate Church of Santa Maria Assunta, although in the film they are depicted as being in the Florentine church of San Miniato al Monte. Similarly, in “Brother Sun, Sister Moon” (1972), a feature film about the life of St. Francis, Zeffirelli transforms San Gimignano into the town of Assisi. In 1999, the famous Tuscan director was inspired to shoot his autobiographical film “Tea with Mussolini” in this town.

Wonderful spa baths

There are numerous thermal springs in the unique landscape surrounding Siena. Impressed by the evocative scenery of Bagno Vignoni, Russian director Andrei Tarkovsky used it as the setting for many scenes in “Nostalgia” (1983). Meanwhile, Carlo Verdone, Francesca Neri and Sergio Rubini enjoyed a nocturnal dip in the thermal baths of Piazza delle Sorgenti, in the comedy film “Al Lupo al Lupo” (Wolf! Wolf!) (1992).
For those who want to experience the dreamlike atmosphere evoked by Federico Fellini, a visit to Chianciano Terme is an absolute must. This place was close to the director’s heart, and the chosen setting for his masterpiece “8 and ½”.