Two weeks ago I flew to Rome. It was my first trip there and definitely a memoriable one. The city seemed to be the perfect movie background, everywhere you looked a gorgeous house facade or sight.

Even though I kind of took a break from movies, they and my love for them, follows me everywhere. So it comes as no surprise that after my mum mentioned the roman film studios Cinecittà we had to go. 

I didn’t really know what to expect because, to be honest, I don’t know much about Italian cinema, except for names like Fellini, Leone, Loren or Cardinale and that one time we went to see „The Bicycle Thief“ presented by Martin Scorsese in New York. Still, I wanted to go, soak up the energy and have a little escape from the massive crowds of tourists at the more „standard“ sights.

And boy, did I feel the energy. Walking between those huge „Teatros“ (Stages) was magical and once again showed me that film is the one thing that I am really passionate about. (I just need to accept that.)

We went there in the morning to catch one of the two English guided tours they offer each day (One at 11:30 am and one at 4 pm. – They are closed on Tuesday!). We saw sets from „Gangs of New York“ directed by Martin Scorsese (which he shot in Cinecittà because he wanted to work with production designer Dante Ferretti who was „stationed“ in Italy), „Rome“ (2005-07) an HBO/BBC collaboration about the rise of the Roman Empire and „The Passion of Christ“ by Mel Gibson.

The most famous man to use Cinecittà is the italian director Frederico Fellini. He shot so much there that Stage 5 is named after him…and close by he had a little office he made an apartment out of to waste no time and always be close to the set.

It was such a fun experience to walk through the two small but very interesting exhibitions about the history of Italian cinema, Cinecittà and all the famous people who worked there. There is also a part where, very interactively you can explore all the different areas of filmmaking. My personal favourite was the Guided Backstage Tour (obviously). You walked around the Studios, saw the sets (even of a film which is only coming out next year, of course we weren’t allowed to take pictures) and felt the spirit of the Teatros and their history. It’s a long walk (the guided tour, the entrance to Cinecittà is straight at the Metro Stop) but definitely worth if you are interested in living movie history while in Rome.

If you wanna check out more here is the link to their website: Cinecittà Shows Off (Backstage)

It’s definitely worth a trip :)

Thanks for Reading.

Claudia