Villa Lante in Bagnaia (Viterbo) and Palazzo or Villa Farnese in Caprarola (both built in the 16th century), Forte Sangallo in Civita Castellana and the Ruspoli Castle in Vignanello (respectively built at the end of the 15th and 16th century) are some of the most beautiful and sought-after locations in Tuscia.

Among them, Palazzo Farnese - defined by the authoritative critic and essayist Mario Praz as the "supreme formula of our sixteenth century" - is the most used  set, both by national and international productions. The historic film Lucrezia (1968) by Osvaldo Civirani (inspired by the controversial figure of Lucrezia Borgia), the drama Illustrious Corpses (1976) by Francesco Rosi and the comedy Il commissario Lo Gatto (1986) by Dino Risi were all filmed here.

The sumptuous gardens of Villa Lante, with their beautiful waterworks and fountains (the most famous one, Fontana dei Mori, was created by the popular sculptor Giambologna), Palazzina Gambara and Palazzina Montalto  were chosen as a filming location for White Voices (1964) by Pasquale Festa Campanile and Massimo Franciosa, We Have a Pope (2011) by Nanni Moretti and the television series The Young Pope (2016) by Paolo Sorrentino.

Forte Sangallo in Civita Castellana was used as a set for the comedy A cavallo della tigre (1961) by Luigi Comencini, for the drama Il processo di Verona (1962) by Carlo Lizzani and the historical The Lady of Monza (1969) by Eriprando Visconti.

The Ruspoli Castle and its sumptuous gardens were the ideal set for the swashbuckler film Il conte di Matera (1957) by Luigi Capuano, for the biographical Caravaggio's Shadow (2022) by Michele Placido and for the comedy Rosaline (2022) by Karen Maine (an alternative version of the Shakspearian drama Romeo and Juliet).

 

Photo: Villa Lante (Bagnaia, Viterbo), Nanni Moretti on the set of  Habemus Papam by Nanni Moretti (2011).
Foto by Philippe Antonello

Written by Franco Grattarola