Netflix knows exactly what it's doing when it drops a movie like La Dolce Villa. You're sitting there, probably with a glass of wine or a lukewarm coffee, and suddenly you’re looking at these sun-drenched Italian cobblestones and thinking, "I need to go there right now." It's that classic escapist pull. But here is the thing about La Dolce Villa filming locations—they aren't always exactly what they seem on your TV screen. Movie magic is real, and it often involves stitching together three different towns to make one "perfect" fictional village.
If you've spent any time scouring the credits or pausing frames to catch a glimpse of a street sign, you know the hunt is half the fun. The movie tells the story of an American businessman who heads to Italy to sell his late grandmother's villa, only to get swept up in the local charm and, obviously, a romance. But the villa itself? That's a real place. The town? Also real, mostly.
The Heart of the Movie: Villa Castellamonte
The absolute star of the show isn't even a human actor. It’s the house. Most of the La Dolce Villa filming location buzz centers on the actual estate where the protagonist stays. In reality, this is Villa Castellamonte, located in the lush, rolling hills of the Tuscany region, specifically near the town of San Casciano in Val di Pesa.
It’s old. Like, 16th-century old.
Walking through those gardens in real life feels a bit surreal because the production team didn't actually change that much. They didn't need to. The weathered terracotta, the sprawling olive groves, and that specific shade of faded ochre on the exterior walls are all authentic. However, if you were to book a stay there—and yes, it is occasionally available for private rentals—don't expect the interior to look exactly like the movie. While the "bones" are the same, Netflix’s production designers brought in a lot of mid-century modern furniture to contrast with the Renaissance architecture, creating that "renovation in progress" vibe that drives the plot.
Why Tuscany Always Wins
There is a reason why location scouts keep coming back to this specific slice of Italy. The light. In the film, you’ll notice a golden hue that seems almost too good to be true. That’s the "Golden Hour" in Tuscany, which actually lasts longer because of the way the hills reflect the setting sun.
Chasing Scenes Through Florence and Beyond
While the villa is the anchor, the "town" scenes in the movie are a bit of a geographical jigsaw puzzle. If you try to walk from the villa to the piazza shown in the film, you’re going to be walking for a very long time. Or you’ll end up in a different province entirely.
The production used Florence for several key "arrival" shots. You can spot the iconic Duomo in the background of a few transition scenes, but the crew worked hard to avoid the massive tourist crowds. They filmed early. Like 4:00 AM early. This allowed them to capture the city’s piazzas without the usual sea of selfie sticks, giving the film an intimate, quiet feel that most travelers never actually experience.
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The Village of Greve in Chianti
Most of the "local" feel—the butcher shop, the small cafe where the leads have their first awkward encounter—was filmed in and around Greve in Chianti.
This town is basically the gateway to the Chianti wine region. It has a very distinct triangular piazza (Piazza Matteotti) surrounded by arched porticos. In the movie, this is where the festival scene takes place. Honestly, the town looks almost identical in person. They didn't have to build sets; they just asked the local shopkeepers to move their outdoor displays slightly to accommodate the camera dollies.
- The butcher shop? That’s the famous Antica Macelleria Falorni. It’s been there since 1806.
- The wine shop? Actually a wine shop.
- The "local" vibe? Totally authentic, though way more crowded on Saturdays when the market is in town.
The Misconception About "La Dolce Villa"
People often ask if the town in the movie is a real place called "Villa Dolce." It isn't. The name is a play on La Dolce Vita (The Sweet Life), and the village in the script is a composite. This is a common trope in Italian-set romances. Think Under the Tuscan Sun or Letters to Juliet. They take the best parts of three or four villages and edit them together to create a dreamscape.
If you’re planning a trip to see the La Dolce Villa filming location, you have to be prepared for the fact that the "scenic overlook" where they watch the sunset might be thirty miles away from the cafe where they just had espresso.
Behind the Scenes: The Logistics of Filming in Italy
Filming in these historic spots is a nightmare for producers but a dream for the cinematography.
The streets in Greve and San Casciano are narrow. Like, "don't-even-try-to-drive-a-Fiat-there" narrow. The crew had to use specialized, smaller equipment to navigate the alleys. There’s a scene where a vintage Vespa breaks down—that wasn't just a plot point; those old bikes actually hate the steep, sun-baked hills of Tuscany. The actors reportedly spent half their time waiting for the mechanics to get the props running again.
The local reaction was mostly positive, though. Unlike big blockbusters that shut down entire cities, the La Dolce Villa crew was relatively small. Locals were often used as extras. If you look closely at the background of the dinner scene at the trattoria, those aren't paid actors from Rome. Those are the actual residents of the area, many of whom were just happy to get a free meal and see a movie being made in their backyard.
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The Hidden Gem: Certaldo Alto
One of the more "hidden" La Dolce Villa filming locations is the hilltop town of Certaldo Alto. This is where the more "medieval" looking streets appear. It’s accessible by a funicular, and it looks like time stopped somewhere in the 1300s.
The production used Certaldo for the scenes involving the "old lawyer's office." The brickwork there is a deep, dark red, which provided a nice visual break from the lighter, sunnier tones of the main villa. It’s also the birthplace of the writer Boccaccio, which gives the town a heavy literary pedigree that fits the "searching for meaning" theme of the movie.
Practical Tips for Visiting
If you are actually going to trek out to these spots, don't just put "La Dolce Villa" into Google Maps. You'll end up nowhere.
- Rent a car, but a small one. Seriously. You will regret a large SUV the moment you try to park near Greve in Chianti.
- Visit in the shoulder season. May or October. The light is still beautiful, but you won't be sweating through your shirt while trying to find the "romantic" alleyway from scene 14.
- Stay in an Agriturismo. If you want the Villa Castellamonte experience without the $5,000-a-night price tag, look for an agriturismo (a farm stay) in San Casciano. Many of them are refurbished villas with the same views and better wine.
Authenticity vs. Cinema
We have to talk about the "Italian Filter." Movies like this often use a specific color grading to make everything look warmer and more "rustic" than it is. When you get to the La Dolce Villa filming location, you might notice that the grass isn't always that green, or the walls are a bit more cracked.
But that’s the charm.
The real Italy is messy. It’s loud. There’s laundry hanging from windows that the movie probably edited out. But the smell of the air—rosemary, dust, and woodsmoke—is something Netflix hasn't figured out how to broadcast yet.
What Most People Get Wrong
The biggest mistake fans make is assuming everything was shot in one place. They book a hotel in Florence and expect to walk to the "Villa." You can't. You need to plan a route that takes you south into the Chianti region.
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Also, the "private beach" scene? That’s not in Tuscany. Tuscany has a coast, sure, but the specific rocky cove shown in the flashback sequences was actually filmed further south near Castiglioncello. It’s about a 90-minute drive from the main villa location.
Moving Forward With Your Trip
To see these locations properly, start your journey in Florence to get the "city" shots out of the way. Spend a morning at the Piazzale Michelangelo for that sweeping view of the Arno river seen in the movie's opening. From there, head south on the SR2.
Your itinerary should look like this:
- Day 1-2: Florence (The "Arrival" scenes).
- Day 3: San Casciano in Val di Pesa (The area surrounding the main Villa).
- Day 4: Greve in Chianti (The "Town" scenes and the butcher shop).
- Day 5: Certaldo Alto (The medieval atmosphere and "Lawyer's office").
Instead of just looking for the exact camera angles, try to find the spots where the crew actually ate. In Greve, that's often the small enotecas tucked away from the main square. The actors reportedly spent a lot of time at Enoteca Falorni, sampling the local reds between takes.
By focusing on the Chianti region and the specific towns of Greve and San Casciano, you can recreate the vibe of the film without the Hollywood artifice. The "sweet life" isn't about finding a movie set; it's about finding the spots that were beautiful enough to be filmed in the first place.
Pack a good pair of walking shoes—Italian cobblestones are brutal on sandals—and make sure your phone has plenty of storage. You're going to want to take more photos than you think.