Best 20 Italian Romance Movies

A journalist moves through the lavish, shallow nightlife of Rome and questions the emptiness he finds.

“"Love is an endless mystery, for it has nothing else to explain it."

Directed by Federico Fellini · 2h 54m · Rated NR

A woman returns to her family's Italian villa after her mother's death and has to face her past, and rediscover love.

“"In the embrace of my roots, I found the strength to bloom anew."

Directed by Carlo Mazzacurati · 1h 45m

In a Sicilian village during the Second World War, a young boy becomes obsessed with a beautiful woman named Malena.

“"I wonder how many people I've looked at all my life and never seen."

Directed by Giuseppe Tornatore · 1h 48m · Rated R

A young woman travels to Tuscany to discover her roots and ends up unravelling family secrets.

“"We all have our time machines, don't we? Those that take us back are memories... And those that carry us forward, are dreams."

Directed by Bernardo Bertolucci · 1h 56m · Rated R

A summer romance between a teenager and his father's research assistant changes how he sees himself.

“"We rip out so much of ourselves to be cured of things faster than we should that we go bankrupt by the age of thirty and have less to offer each time we start with someone new."

Directed by Luca Guadagnino · 2h 12m · Rated R

Won 1 Oscar107 wins & 263 nominations

A neglected housewife left behind on a family holiday finds liberation and love in Venice.

“"Every trip is a dream and every trip is a homecoming."

Directed by Silvio Soldini · 1h 54m

32 wins & 13 nominations

Born with the ability to float, a young man named Oscar tries to make a life in a world that wants to pin him down.

“"Love is the force that holds everything together."

Directed by Marco Bonfanti · 1h 47m

On the day of a major political parade, a chance meeting between a housewife and her neighbour grows into a poignant connection.

“"Life is beautiful because it is uncertain."

Directed by Ettore Scola · 1h 46m · Rated NR

An American ambulance driver and an English nurse fall in love amid the chaos of Italy in the First World War.

“"I've wanted a child. I wanted one for years. But you can't have one now."

Directed by Charles Vidor · 2h 32m · Rated NR

Interweaving tales of romance in Rome, this film explores love's complexities in the Eternal City.

“"Life is full of surprises."

Directed by Woody Allen · 1h 51m · Rated R

This epic follows two Italian brothers across several decades of their country's history.

“"Love is like fire. It's beautiful and dangerous all at the same time."

Directed by Marco Tullio Giordana · 6h 07m · Rated R

33 wins & 25 nominations

A group of friends grapples with adulthood and commitment.

“"We don’t live a life that’s particularly noble or exciting. We just exist from day to day."

Directed by Gabriele Muccino · 1h 55m · Rated R

A rebellious young man and a good girl from different worlds fall for each other against the odds.

“"It's funny how life changes, isn't it?"

Directed by Fernando González Molina · 2h 02m · Rated PG-13

A lonely teenager discovers he has superpowers and, in the process, finds himself.

“"Being different isn't a bad thing. It means you're brave enough to be yourself."

Directed by Gabriele Salvatores · 1h 40m

An elderly couple sets off on a final road trip in their vintage RV, rekindling old memories.

“"Love is the greatest refreshment in life."

Directed by Paolo Virzì · 1h 52m · Rated R

An ageing writer reflects on his hedonistic life in Rome.

“"To travel is very useful, it makes the imagination work, the rest is just delusion and pain. Our journey is entirely imaginary, which is its strength."

Directed by Paolo Sorrentino · 2h 22m

The biographical story of Giacomo Leopardi, a renowned Italian poet, and his passion for life and writing.

“"Love is the most terrible of all the passions; it is the only one that includes in its dreams the happiness of someone else."

Directed by Mario Martone · 2h 17m

In this sequel, the invisible boy faces new dangers tied to his family's past.

“"Love isn't something you find. Love is something that finds you."

Directed by Gabriele Salvatores · 1h 40m

A woman facing family trouble and her own mortality finds solace and an unexpected romance in an old Italian castle.

“"Love is not consolation. It is light."

Directed by Valeria Bruni Tedeschi · 1h 44m

A shepherd, a buffalo and a nobleman make a surreal journey through Italy's neglected landscape.

“"In love, one and one are one."

Directed by Pietro Marcello · 1h 28m