The places of Valdichiana Senese between small and big screen

A look at the places that have always inspired great stories

The Valdichiana Senese has always been an enchanted place for television and cinema directors. Breathtaking views and charming towns are the reason why our territory inspires great stories to be told.
Let’s retrace together some of the places that lent themselves to the most varied film productions.


Piazza Grande di Montepulciano - I Medici (2015), New Moon (2009) and Under the Tuscan Sun (2003)
Three films, one common denominator. Piazza Grande in Montepulciano has been able to attract first Audrey Wells for his Under the Sun of Tuscany, then Chris Weitz for New Moon and finally Frank Spotnitz for the television series I Medici. If in the film by Wells the square lends itself to the famous scene of flag wavers, for Weitz it is instead the perfect stage for the scene where Bella saves Edward; finally, for Spotnitz, it becomes the ideal place to stage the horse carousel and the Congiura dei Pazzi.


Historical centre of Chianciano Terme - Una sconosciuta (2021)
Una sconosciuta is the second film of Fabrizio Guarducci, based on the namesake novel of the same director. Many are the names of the official cast, from famous Italian actors such as Sebastiano Somma and Sandra Ceccarelli to local ones. The entire film is set in Chianciano Terme where the historical centre is the main character within its evocative alleys and the main square Piazza Giacomo Matteotti.


Cetona - La mia ombra è tua (2022)
La mia ombra è tua it’s the story of an unexpected friendship. Written and directed by Eugenio Cappuccio, the film is set in more than one Italian region including Tuscany, in the scene of the splendid farmhouse located in the countryside of Cetona.


Tenuta la Fratta di Sinalunga - Pinocchio (2019)
Pinocchio, the most famous Italian fairy tale in the world, relives in the film of Matteo Garrone, with the Oscar Roberto Benigni in the role of Geppetto. The film finds its ideal setting in the Tenuta la Fratta of Sinalunga, a place from the noble charm that is perfect for this type story.


La Foce, Chianciano Terme - Succession (2018)
Succession is an American television series that follows the Roy family, owners of a global media empire. Part of the third season is also filmed in Italy and more precisely in Tuscany, where the precious gardens of La Foce become the ideal place for the reception of guests on the occasion of Caroline's wedding. 


Chiusi and Tenuta Dolciano - Quanto Basta (2018)
Quanto Basta is the title of Franesco Falaschi’s film which is inspired on the genre of the culinary cinema. The entire movie is the story of a journey from Rome to Chiusi. In the various scenes you can see the historic centre of Chiusi, but also the area of the lake and the Tenuta di Dolciano, located a few kilometers from the village.


Parco Acquasanta di Chianciano Terme - 8½ (1963)
With Marcello Mastroianni as the protagonist, 8 1⁄2 is considered the absolute masterpiece of the great Federico Fellini. For the setting of his film, Fellini was freely inspired by the Parco Acquasanta and and the thermal SPA of Chianciano Terme, a place that the director knew very well and chose to reproduce faithfully, albeit with some variations, inside the studios of Cinecittà.

Discover the cinema settings of the Valdichiana Senese area with a special daily tour. Write to booking@valdichianaliving.it for more info.