TV locations in Umbria
Umbria, a live stage for cinema and television: discover the filming locations for Italian TV series
Maybe you haven't noticed, but some of the TV series and shows that you watch every day are set in the charming streets of Umbrian villages, among the hills of the Green Heart of Italy. Choose your favourite programme and take a trip to the town that provided its backdrop during filming. We begin with one of the most watched series: Don Matteo with the title role played by Terence Hill. This Rai series was filmed in Spoleto and in Gubbio for several years. Don Matteo often crosses the beautiful Piazza del Duomo, which is overlooked by the Cathedral of Spoleto, on his famous bicycle. On another side of the piazza is Palazzo Bufalini, which was used as the first Carabinieri (military police) barracks to appear in the series. Don Matteo's church is the Basilica of Sant'Eufemia. Whilst visiting the church, which is only a few metres away from Piazza del Duomo, take the chance to go to the Museo Diocesano, the entrance of which is in the courtyard of Don Matteo's church. Inside the beautiful Teatro Caio Melisso, the inmates' visiting room was built, whilst the theatre's outer door was used as the door of the priest's rectory. Head towards the upper part of town, which is overlooked by the imposing Rocca Albornoziana: from there, the "Giro del Ponte delle Torri" trail will allow you to see the beautiful valley below. Don Matteo often rides his bicycle along this incredibly beautiful road. Before being filmed in Spoleto, the TV series was filmed in Gubbio: the church and rectory were filmed in the Church of San Giovanni, in the lower part of the town's historic centre, whilst Maresciallo Cecchini's famous barracks were located in Piazza Grande onto which Palazzo dei Consoli faces. Don Matteo rode his bicycle through the beautiful streets of Gubbio's centre, like via Piccardi, via Savelli, via Galeotti and via Baldassini. Do you remember the Mediaset series " Carabinieri"? If you do, you'll also remember the numerous references to the Umbrian town where it was filmed: Città della Pieve. The beautiful town, on the border between Umbria and Tuscany, was the backdrop for exciting chase scenes between criminals and the carabinieri, as well as for romantic love stories. The series featured actors like Manuela Arcuri, Lorenzo Crespi, Ettore Bassi, Martina Colombari and many others besides. The carabinieri barracks were filmed in what is actually a high school, in via Maddalena 34. The famous Bar Pippo, a meeting place for the characters in the show, is instead found in Piazza Matteotti. Gemma's "Vecchia Pizzeria" is also found in the town's historic centre, in via Garibaldi, a short distance from the Oratorio dei Bianchi where you'll find Perugio's magnificent painting, Adoration of the Magi. Walking around Città della Pieve gives you the chance to see beautiful views and try delicious local dishes based on the town's "gold": saffron from Città della Pieve. In 2016, a TV series dedicated to Luisa Spagnoli was filmed in the heart of Perugia, in Piazza IV Novembre, in the shadow of the Cattedrale di San Lorenzo, Fontana Maggiore and Palazzo Priori. The show's star, Luisa Ranieri, walked along Corso Vannucci in period clothes, and also down the scalette di Sant'Ercolano, taking Perugia back to the early Twentieth century, when Spagnoli began two of the businesses that have left their mark on the economic history of the region. Luisa Spagnoli is the creator of the famous atelier and fashion label of Perugia, as well as co-creator of the Bacio Perugina chocolate with her husband Francesco Buitoni.