A cultural-historical guide to Abruzzo in film
Abruzzo has been used in film as a backdrop for medieval Europe, the American West, and pastoral Italy. Across these films, the landscape becomes a character in its own right, shaping mood, story, and the lives of the people on screen.
This chronological selection highlights films that use Abruzzo both as metaphor for starkness, isolation, frontier landscapes and as a place of lived experience, from post‑war village life to contemporary stories.
Top 10 Films
- Signorinella (1949)
- Pane, Amore e Fantasia (1953)
- La Strada (1954)
- Uomini e Lupi / The Wolves (1957)
- They Call Me Trinity (1970) / Trinity Is Still My Name (1971)
- Fontamara (1980)
- Ladyhawke (1985)
- Parenti Serpenti (1992)
- L’Armunita (2023)
- Un Mondo a Parte (2024)
1. Signorinella (1949)
Synopsis: A light post‑war comedy about two men who steal a fancy American car and flee into the Abruzzo hills where they are mistaken for wealthy relatives.
Why it defines Abruzzo: It captures the atmosphere of Abruzzese village life after WWII before emigration and urbanisation reshaped the region.
Interesting Points: Inspired by the 1930s song Signorinella.
Filming locations: Introdacqua
Where to Watch: Signorinella – YouTube – Italian Only
2. Pane, Amore e Fantasia (1953)
Director: Luigi Comencini | Cast: Vittorio De Sica, Gina Lollobrigida
Synopsis: A romantic comedy set in a fictional mountain village. Although filmed in Lazio, the story was inspired by the life of the screenwriter Ettore Maria Margadonna who was born in Palena (Chieti).
Why it defines Abruzzo: It depicts the social world of post war Abruzzo through the lived experience of the screenwriter.
Interesting Points:
The screenwriter Ettore Maria Margadonna was nominated for an Oscar for the screenplay.
The film helped launch the “pink neorealism” trend of the 1950s which director Luigi Comencini helped to popularise.
Filming Locations: Filmed in Lazio, inspired by Palena.
Where to Watch: Pane, Amore e Fantasia – YouTube – Italian Only
3. La Strada (1954)
Director: Federico Fellini | Cast: Giulietta Masina , Anthony Quinn
Synopsis: Federico Fellini’s classic and widely acclaimed film about a travelling performer and the young woman sold to accompany him.
Why it defines Abruzzo: The Abruzzo plateau not only serves as a backdrop but also provides the bleakness and desolate atmosphere.
Interesting Points:
The co-screenwriter on La Strada was Ennio Flaiano (born in Pescara, Abruzzo), best known for co-writing 10 screenplays with Fellini.
The film won an Academy Award in 1957 and in 2008 was listed as 100 Italian films to be saved.
Filming Locations: Ovindoli, Rocca di Mezzo.
Where to Watch: La Strada | Internet Archive
4. Uomini e Lupi (1957)
Director: Giuseppe De Santis | Cast: Silvia Mangano, Yves Montand
Synopsis: Reflects the lives of lupari – men who hunted wolves for a living and the tension between humans, animals, and the mountain environment.
Why it defines Abruzzo: The film documents traditional wolf‑hunting culture in Abruzzo and the harshness of Abruzzo’s mountains in the winter.
Interesting Points:
De Santis chose Abruzzo because it was one of the few places where the traditional wolf‑hunting culture still survived.
Snowstorms repeatedly interrupted production and the crew were often stuck in mountain villages because the roads were blocked by snow. 1
Filming Locations: Scanno, Pescasseroli
Where to Watch: Uomini e Lupi Film
5. They Call Me Trinity (1970) / Trinity Is Still My Name (1971)
Director: Enzo Barboni | Cast: Terence Hill, Bud Spencer
Synopsis: Cult spaghetti‑western comedies partly filmed in Campo Imperatore, whose wide plains doubled as the American West.
Why it defines Abruzzo: Campo Imperatore became a favourite filming location for Westerns.
Interesting Points:
Trinity is Still My Name is still one of the highest‑grossing Italian films of all time.
Filming Locations: Campo Imperatore
Where to Watch: They Call Me Trinity – YouTube – Italian | Trinity Is Stlll My Name | Italian
6. Fontamara (1980) – TV mini series
Director: Carlo Lizzani | Cast: Michele Placido, Ida Di Benedetto
Synopsis: Carlo Lizzani’s adaptation of Ignazio Silone’s novel remains the most important cinematic portrait of Abruzzo under Fascism. It follows a community of contadini (the rural peasant-farming class) resisting exploitation, hunger, and political repression.
Why it defines Abruzzo: Fontamara captures the lives of the contadini and depicts the poverty, exploitation, and resilience that shaped Abruzzo’s identity. Silone’s novel exposed how Fascism exploited isolated rural communities, making Fontamara one of Italy’s most important anti‑Fascist novels.
Interesting Points:
Ignazio Silone was born in Pescina, Abruzzo and lost family in the 1915 earthquake.
Silone wrote Fontamara in 1933 whilst in exile in Switzerland.
Filming Locations: Roccacasale, Popoli, Fucino plains and other sites in Abruzzo
Where to Watch: Fontamara | YouTube
7. Ladyhawke (1985)
Director: Richard Donner | Cast: Rutger Hauer, Michelle Pfeiffer, Matthew Broderick
Synopsis: A fantasy romance about two lovers – one cursed to live as a hawk by day and the other as a wolf by night. They team up with a thief to overthrow the wicked Bishop who cursed them.
Why it defines Abruzzo: The film uses Rocca Calascio and the surrounding mountains to create its iconic medieval atmosphere.
Interesting Points:
Rocca Calascio’s appearance in the film introduced Abruzzo landscapes to an international audience and helped to increase tourism and restoration efforts.
Donner chose Abruzzo for its untouched medieval landscapes
Filming Locations: Rocca Calascio, Campo Imperatore
Where to Watch: LadyHawke
8. Parenti Serpenti (1992)
Director: Mario Monicelli | Cast: Marina Confalone, Tommaso Bianco, Alessandro Haber
Synopsis: A dark comedy set in Sulmona about a family Christmas get together that unravels when the parents ask their adult children to decide who will care for them in old age. What begins as a warm gathering unravels into manipulation, guilt, and bitter humour.
Why it defines Abruzzo: Set and filmed entirely in Sulmona, the film captures Abruzzo’s winter atmosphere, tight‑knit communities, and the emotional intensity of intergenerational families.
Interesting Points:
The town’s Christmas traditions and piazzas are shown exactly as they were in the early 1990s.
Mike Bongiorno – the famous Italian TV presenter makes a cameo
Filming Locations: Sulmona
Where to Watch: Internet Archive
9. L’Armunita (2021)
Director: Giuseppe Bonito | Cast: Sofia Fiore, Valentina Carnelutti, Andrea Arcangeli
Synopsis: Based on Donatella Di Pietrantonio’s acclaimed novel L’Arminuta, the film is based in the summer of 1975 and follows a 13‑year‑old girl abruptly returned to her birth family in rural Abruzzo. She must navigate poverty, identity, and belonging in a world that feels both familiar and foreign.
Why it defines Abruzzo: It is one of the most powerful modern portrayals of Abruzzo’s rural interior, its dialects, its emotional landscapes, and the complexities of family ties.
Interesting Points:
L’Armunita won the David di Donatello (Italian Oscars) for Best Adapted Screenplay 2022 for Monica Zapelli e Donatella Di Pietrantonio.
Donatella Di Pietranonio was born in Arsita, in the province of Teramo, Abruzzo. All her novels relate back to Abruzzese life and culture.
The dialect spoken in the movie is authentic to Abruzzo.
To cast the roles of the two sisters the Director auditioned over 3,000 girls from Abruzzo. 2
Filming Locations: Although set in Abruzzo, the filming locations were in Lazio.
Where to Watch: New Release |L‘Armunita Trailer
10. Un Mondo a Parte (2024)
Director: Riccardo Milani | Cast: Antonio Albanese, Virginia Raffaele, Stefano Fresi
Synopsis: A teacher from Rome is transferred to a tiny mountain school in Abruzzo, where only a handful of children remain. As he adjusts to rural life, he discovers a community fighting to keep its traditions and its school alive.
Why it defines Abruzzo: It showcases the Appennine mountain villages, the challenges of depopulation, and the resilience of Abruzzese communities.
Interesting Points:
Inspired by real small‑school closures in Abruzzo
Most of the actors including the children were locals and added authenticity to the movie.
Filming Locations: Opi, Pescasseroli, Lake Barrea and other sites
Where to Watch: Un Mondo a Parte Trailer
Footnotes
- “Silvana Mangano fra i lupi in un film abruzzese di De Santis.” La Stampa, 6 April 1956, p. 6. Accessed 6 June 2026. Archivio La Stampa. ↩︎
- Cineuropa. “Giuseppe Bonito • Director of L’Arminuta.” Cineuropa, Rome, 2021. https://cineuropa.org/en/interview/412392/ ↩︎
Disclaimer
Film posters and stills are used under fair dealing for the purposes of criticism, review, and cultural commentary. All rights belong to their respective copyright holders.
