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. 

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.