Why the World’s Best Advertising Films Are Shot in Italy

Italy offers a rare combination of visual diversity, creative heritage and production infrastructure that few countries in the world can match. This is precisely why advertising production in Italy continues to attract international brands, global creative agencies and award-winning directors working on high-end commercial films.

Unlike many destinations that offer either striking visuals or reliable production support, Italy delivers both — allowing brands to execute ambitious advertising campaigns without creative compromise.

One of the key advantages of commercial filming in Italy is the natural cinematic quality of its environments. Italian light, textures, colour palettes and architectural depth allow advertising films to achieve a premium look with minimal artificial enhancement.

This reduces the need for heavy set construction, extensive VFX or aggressive post-production stylisation. As a result, brands benefit from authentic, cinematic visuals that feel organic rather than manufactured — a quality increasingly valued in global advertising.

This makes Italy especially attractive for international advertising shoots requiring multiple visual environments within a single production schedule. A luxury fashion film, beauty campaign or automotive commercial can be executed across several distinct locations without relocating to multiple countries.

Italy has been the setting for some of the most recognisable and influential advertising films of the past decades. Chosen by global luxury houses, automotive brands and lifestyle leaders, these campaigns use Italian locations not as decoration, but as a core narrative element — reinforcing brand values through place, culture and atmosphere.

Below is a curated selection of landmark advertising campaigns filmed in Italy, frequently referenced within the global advertising and production industry.

In 2025, Dolce & Gabbana released its Light Blue campaign, directed by Gordon Von Steiner, starring Theo James and Vittoria Ceretti, filmed on the sun-drenched cliffs of Capri and Positano. This campaign embraces the Mediterranean spirit with vibrant blue sea backdrops, cliffside terraces and timeless Italian coastal panoramas, turning a fragrance ad into a cinematic ode to Italian summer.

Here, Italy’s luminous natural light and iconic Mediterranean scenery become a fundamental story element, not just a backdrop, reinforcing Light Blue’s fresh, elegant and effortless lifestyle positioning.

A cinematic celebration of Mediterranean glamour and Italian visual poetry. Shot on location in Capri and along the Amalfi Coast, this campaign uses iconic sea vistas, rocky promontories and lush coastal light to elevate fashion advertising into a story of cultural confidence and sensory storytelling.

Directed by Paolo Sorrentino and starring Anne Hathaway and Zendaya, Unexpected Wonders was filmed across Rome’s historic cityscape. The Eternal City functions as a central narrative element, from lavish palazzo interiors to sweeping rooftop terraces with panoramic views, making the city’s architectural rhythm and skyline an active part of the story. Rome’s layered history and visual character reinforce Bulgari’s identity by weaving jewellery and emotion into the textures of real urban life. 

CHANEL presented its Cruise 2025/26 collection on the shores of Lake Como, using one of Italy’s most iconic luxury destinations as a natural stage. Surrounded by historic villas, water reflections and alpine scenery, the show blended fashion with the refined, cinematic atmosphere that has long defined the region.

Lake Como’s association with elegance, discretion and timeless wealth reinforced CHANEL’s cruise identity, turning the runway into a visual dialogue between couture, landscape and Italian lifestyle. Here, the location was not decorative — it was integral to the story.

Shot in Portofino, Liguria, Ferrari’s Portofino campaign places the grand tourer within one of Italy’s most iconic coastal settings. Winding seaside roads, pastel harbour architecture and Mediterranean light frame the car in a narrative of effortless elegance, where performance is expressed through lifestyle rather than speed.

Portofino’s balance of intimacy and prestige reinforces Ferrari’s vision of modern Italian luxury — refined, emotional and deeply connected to place. The location does not compete with the car; it elevates it, turning movement along the Riviera into a cinematic expression of freedom and sophistication.

House Party is a Versace fashion film directed by Robi Rodriguez, shot at Villa Balbiano on Lake Como. The campaign unfolds as an intimate after-hours narrative, using the villa’s opulent interiors, manicured gardens and lakeside views as a cinematic playground for modern Versace glamour.

Lake Como’s reputation for discreet luxury and aristocratic elegance heightens the contrast between historic architecture and bold contemporary fashion. Rather than serving as a backdrop, Villa Balbiano becomes a central character — reinforcing Versace’s ability to merge Italian heritage with a confident, modern attitude.

La Vacanza is a playful mini campaign by Versace, shot in Camogli, Liguria, transporting viewers to the crystal-clear waters and sunlit coastline of the Italian Riviera. Through a sequence of imagery and film, the campaign captures candid moments of a distinctly Versace summer — sun-kissed models, glamorous seaside settings and iconic seasonal fashion.

Presented as a tongue-in-cheek video diary, the film blends humour and nostalgia, with flashbacks revealing a more stylised version of how the summer was truly spent. Playful, optimistic and escapist, La Vacanza channels the freedom and glamour of Mediterranean holidays, using Liguria’s coastal charm as the emotional core of the story.

As Donatella Versace notes, the campaign celebrates the joy of travel, shared experiences and the feeling of endless summer possibilities — values perfectly echoed by Camogli’s intimate harbour, pastel facades and timeless Riviera atmosphere.

Louis Vuitton’s Core Values campaign featuring Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal, photographed by Annie Leibovitz, was shot in the Dolomites of northern Italy. Set against dramatic alpine peaks and vast open landscapes, the campaign frames the two athletes in a moment of quiet reflection rather than competition.

The Dolomites bring a sense of endurance, humility and timelessness to the image — perfectly aligning with Louis Vuitton’s Core Values narrative. Here, the Italian mountain landscape becomes a metaphor for legacy, journey and inner strength, elevating the campaign beyond sport into cultural symbolism.

PRADA presents “Castello Cavalcanti” is a fashion short film directed by Wes Anderson, shot in the Tuscan village of Orceto, near Siena. Rather than functioning as a traditional commercial, the project unfolds as a cinematic narrative, where Italy’s architecture, colour palette and sense of place become central to the story.

Set against Tuscany’s rolling landscapes and timeless streets, the film demonstrates how Italian locations can operate as narrative engines — not merely backdrops — reinforcing brand identity through atmosphere, rhythm and cultural context.

Killer In Red is a cinematic short film directed by Paolo Sorrentino and starring Clive Owen, created as part of Campari’s Red Diaries series. Shot in Milan, the film transforms the city into a stylised, noir-inspired stage where mystery, desire and ritual unfold through Sorrentino’s unmistakable visual language.

Milan’s elegant interiors, night-time atmospheres and architectural restraint provide the perfect setting for a story that blurs the line between cinema and advertising. Here, the city is not merely a backdrop, but an extension of Campari’s identity — refined, enigmatic and deeply rooted in Italian culture.

Revealing the Unseen is a Webby Award–winning (2025) brand film directed by Paul Moore and produced by ORBIS Production for CNN Create. Shot on location in San Benedetto del Tronto, the film uses the Adriatic coastline and everyday Italian environments to tell a human-centred story about technology, perception and unseen detail.

Rather than relying on spectacle, the campaign draws power from authenticity — using real locations, natural light and a lived-in Italian setting to elevate the narrative. San Benedetto del Tronto becomes an essential storytelling element, grounding Samsung’s innovation in tangible, human experience and reinforcing Italy’s role as a versatile destination for global advertising production.

VAKANTIE, directed by Wim Geudens, is a travel-driven commercial for ANWB, shot in Lombardy by ORBIS Production. Showcasing alpine landscapes, winding mountain roads and cascading waterfalls, the film reveals a quieter, more elemental side of Italy — one shaped by nature, altitude and movement.

Lombardy’s dramatic terrain brings a sense of freshness and escape to the campaign, reinforcing themes of freedom, discovery and connection with nature. By focusing on mountains and waterfalls rather than iconic cities, the commercial highlights Italy’s lesser-seen landscapes and underlines the country’s versatility as a destination for authentic, experience-driven travel advertising.

Grab the Deal & Make It Real! is a travel-driven commercial directed by Timo Mangelaars, shot in Tuscany by ORBIS Production. Rolling hills, historic rural towns, dramatic vertical cliffs, and sunlit landscapes create an instantly recognisable Italian setting, grounding the campaign’s message in authenticity and freedom of movement.

Tuscany’s cinematic simplicity and natural rhythm reinforce the emotional promise of travel — transforming a booking platform into a tangible, aspirational experience. The region’s timeless scenery allows the story to feel real, spontaneous and emotionally accessible, demonstrating how Italian locations continue to elevate global travel advertising.

Italy has a deep pool of highly experienced local crews specialising in advertising, fashion film production and branded content. Directors, DOPs, production designers, stylists and technical teams are accustomed to working with international brands and agencies, often in English-speaking environments.

This expertise ensures smooth collaboration, creative alignment and reliable execution — essential factors for high-budget commercial productions operating under tight timelines.

Over decades of hosting international productions, Italy has developed mature workflows for global advertising production. Location permitting, equipment rental, production services and post-production pipelines are well established and adapted to the needs of international clients.

Across fashion, automotive, travel and lifestyle campaigns, Italy has proven itself as one of the world’s most reliable and creatively powerful destinations for commercial and advertising film production. Brands return not only for the country’s visual richness, but for the confidence that comes with established production standards, experienced crews and a deep understanding of international advertising workflows.
From coastal towns and historic cities to alpine landscapes and contemporary urban environments, Italy offers an unmatched range of visual worlds within a single country. This diversity allows global campaigns to achieve cinematic variety while maintaining production efficiency and creative consistency.

Crucially, Italy’s strength lies in its infrastructure as much as its aesthetics. Location scouting and permits in Italy are supported by mature systems, professional film commissions and production partners accustomed to working with international brands and agencies. This ensures that even complex advertising shoots — involving heritage sites, public spaces or multiple regions — can be executed smoothly and responsibly.

For brands seeking authenticity, scale and cinematic credibility, Italy continues to set the standard. It is not simply a place to shoot, but a country where location, culture and production expertise align — elevating advertising films into lasting visual statements for global audiences.