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A SPANISH SOJOURN
Vicky Cristina Barcelona
This Woody Allen romantic-comedy-drama may have had an A-list cast, but the photogenic Catalonian capital was the film’s scene stealer.
Starring Javier Bardem as a charismatic painter, Scarlett Johansson and Rebecca Hall as two friends spending the summer in Barcelona, and Penelope Cruz as Bardem’s fiery ex, the film was shot at locations across the Spanish city including the National Museum of Art of Catalonia and the Gothic Quarter.
However, some of the most spectacular scenes were shot at the Gaudi-designed public space Park Guell and Tibidabo theme park, Spain’s oldest amusement park boasting the best views of Barcelona.
LA DOLCE VITA
Under the Tuscan Sun
Combining stunning landscapes with a dose of romance, this movie tells the story of a recently divorced writer [played by Diane Lane] who buys and restores a villa in Tuscany.
Loosely based on Frances Mayes’ 1996 memoir of the same name, the film is shot in enchanting Cortona, a town in central Italy known for its beauty, food and wine. The movie not only inspired travellers from all over the world to visit Cortona but to purchase and restore their own villas.
SCENIC SOUTH AMERICA
The Motorcycle Diaries
This 2004 biopic chronicles the Argentinian guerrilla fighter Ernesto ‘Che’ Guevara’s motorcycle journey across South America with his friend Alberto Granado before he became the Marxist revolutionary icon.
The film was shot in some of South America’s most scenic natural locations, starting in Buenos Aires, heading through Patagonia and into Chile, north along the Andes to Machu Picchu and ending at Venezuela’s Guajira Peninsula.
Needless to say, this beautiful film inspired many travellers to visit Latin America on their own journeys of self-discovery.
ENCHANTING ISCHIA
The Talented Mr Ripley
A recreation of 1950s Italy, this star-studded psychological thriller is perhaps one of the most wanderlust-inspiring films.
The Oscar-nominated movie tells the story of sociopath Tom Ripley who is sent to Italy to bring back the playboy son of a wealthy American businessman.
Starring the late Philip Seymour Hoffman, Jude Law, Matt Damon, Gwyneth Paltrow and Cate Blanchett, the film was set on the stunning fictional southern Italian island of Mongibello – actually the island of Ischia and its tiny neighbour, Procida – making us want to head to Italy, pronto!
ROMANCE IN ROME
Roman Holiday
This Audrey Hepburn coming-of-age classic features the Italian capital through the eyes of a sheltered European princess who escapes royal duties and meets a handsome American news reporter [Gregory Peck] who takes her on a memorable tour of the city.
The Oscar-winning movie was filmed entirely in Rome at iconic landmarks including the Colosseum, Trevi Foundation and The Spanish Steps.
The sweetest of all holiday romance films inspired countless trips to Italy.
CHARMING SURREY STAY
The Holiday
It may have been the cosy fireplace, snow-dusted exterior or Jude Law knocking on the front door but this rom-com made us seriously consider booking a holiday at a cosy Surrey cottage.
In the film, mogul Amanda, played by Cameron Diaz, swaps her contemporary Californian pad for Kate Winslet’s character Iris’ charming Rosehill Cottage in this pretty rural pocket of England.
Whilst Amanda’s LA pad was undeniably chic, we all fell in love with Iris’ shabby chic stone cottage, the quaint local village.
ISLAND HOPPING IN GREECE
Mamma Mia!
It’s not often that Meryl Streep is upstaged, but the tiny Greek island of Skopelos was the true star of this flamboyant big screen musical.
With its pristine water, dramatic coastlines and white-washed buildings, the verdant island – and the seaside town of Damouchari in the Pelion area of Greece – provided an idyllic backdrop for this fun-loving film.
It was the island’s Kastani beach, on Skopelos’ south-west coast, however, that really had us craving that European summer getaway.
AFRICAN SAFARI
Out of Africa
If there was ever a film that inspired travellers to visit the African continent, it was this 1985 classic love story.
Set in Kenya, the film, starring Robert Redford and Meryl Streep showcased the country’s staggering beauty, native wildlife and rolling landscapes, captivating viewers across the globe.
In fact, tourism in Kenya reportedly boomed in the year after the film’s release.
TAKE ME TO TOKYO
Lost in Translation
Film buffs have flocked to the luxe New York Bar, the striking centrepiece of Sofia Coppola’s award-winning 2003 movie.
Perched on the 52nd floor of the Park Hyatt Tokyo in the city’s Shinjuku district since it was, this classy bar, which boasts floor-to-ceiling windows and one of the best cocktail lists in the world, is where Scarlett Johansson and Bill Murray’s characters, Bob and Charlotte, meet for the first time.
VACATION IN VIENNA
Before Sunrise
Romantics fell in love with the idea of meeting a handsome stranger on a train and spending an entire evening strolling around a beautiful European city after this indie classic was released 25 years ago.
In the film, which spawned two Before sequels, Ethan Hawke and Julie Delpy’s characters strike up a conversation on a train and decide to walk around Vienna in the hours before he has to fly back to the US.
The modern romance was shot at a slew of photogenic locations including the iconic Riesenrad, a 19th-century Ferris wheel, the setting for the fictional lovers’ first kiss.
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