Cinecittà is a real Hollywood in Rome. In the quartiere of the same name, located in the south east of the city, there’s a huge complex of sets called Cinecittà Studios, about 400.000 square metre wide. The studios were opened in 1937 and have shaped Italian and international cinema history since they’ve been used for movies, TV serials, clips and commercials. They can be visited upon request with a guide, via a previous booking.

There are 22 sets of different sizes; the biggest one is the Teatro 5, which is 40x80 metre wide, the biggest in Europe. The complex also boasts a large outdoor area for outside shots and an estate nearby the Lake of Bracciano, occasionally occupied by set designs. In Cinecittà about 3000 movies have been set, many of which have been awarded a Oscar or have boasted a nomination. In these studios personalities like Federico Fellini, Martin Scorsese and Francis Ford Coppola have worked.

Those who want to visit places where famous scenes have been shot can’t miss the Fontana di Trevi, set of well-known scenes from “La Dolce Vita” with Marcello Mastroianni and Anita Ekberg, the Circo Massimo, used for “Ben Hur”, the triangle of Piazza di Spagna – Piazza del Popolo – Via Margutta, set of “Vacanze Romane” with Gregory Peck, or the popular areas of Rome, due to Pasolini movies (Trastevere and Testaccio, first of all).

Rome and the cinema industry have a strong tie that reveals through several events held in the city all year long; first of all, the Festival Internazionale del Cinema (International Film Festival). Inside Villa Borghese there’s the Casa del Cinema, which presents a vast specific library, two exhibition rooms, a retail outlet and snack bars.