TV shows or movies set in your upcoming travel location

Pranzo di Ferragosto! The English title is Mid-August Lunch. One of our absolute favorites. We watch it before every trip to Italy. It is sweet and funny, with an amazing cast, most of whom are amateurs.

Here are a few that come to mind:

Three Coins in the Fountain
Roman Holiday
La Dolce Vita

What I recently discovered, is that you can search within a service (NETFLIX for example) for a country's name and it will turn up selections for, for example "Polish Movies" or "Korean TV Dramas". I did a quick search and found "Italian Movies and TV" as well.

You-all probably knew that already.

Like Jane, I love “Mid-August Lunch.” Watch it every year!

“To Rome with Love” by Woody Allen is scenic but strange.

Series “Rome” with Kevin McKidd is outstanding.

Anyone going on Best of Turkey would enjoy "Magnificent Century" on YouTube. It is a long running Turkish series, (has English subtitles) and was filmed inside and on the grounds of the Topkapi Palace in Istanbul. The period costuming alone is breathtaking, and you will learn quite a bit of Turkish history. Not only was it fun to see the inside of the real Palace, it was a glimpse into the 500 years of Sultan rule, their customs, and their history, and of course Sultan Suleiman and his famous wife, Hürrem Sultana.

The Bicycle Thief, Angels and Demons and MI 3.

Thanks for the suggestions.

I agree with Mardee for Italy. Those are 3 of my all time favorite films. For England or France I like to watch historical dramas (even if not truely factual.) I love Acorn TV and BritBox with all the foreign crime dramas. Next month's tour includes an Inspector Morse, Lewis and Endeavor tour in Oxford. I can't wait for that one.

I am enjoying Mary Beard’s series Rome, Empire Without Limits which is currently showing on our local education channel. Also available on Prime. She is a slightly dotty Professor, who will happily lay down on a street to read an engraving set low in a wall! Wonderfully filmed in Roman sites all over the Europe and North Africa. Great series for putting the Romans and their Empire in context

Also James May’s, Our Man in Italy. He visits Italy from Sicily to the north. Nicely filmed.

For a while subscribed to MHZ which shows subtitled European TV shows, included a German version, with English subtitles of Donna Leon’s Brunetti books filmed in Venice. Some interesting French shows as well as a number of Scandinavia-Noir series which always seem to be set in the middle of winter!

We have loved the series Victoria, so on our recent UK trip we took a ferry to the Isle of Wight to see Osborne, the vacation home designed by Albert and used by Victoria until her death. After returning home we watched Victoria and Abdul for the first time and appreciated seeing the Durbar wing of Osborne. I also watched The Imitation Game flying to and from our trip as we knew this time we were finally going to take a day trip to Bletchley Park which was riveting. I’m reading the Rose Code since returning.

On a lighter note, we took the bus to one of our favorite Thames River walk areas, Richmond to Twickenham and again saw the places near Richmond Green that are now used as shoot locations for the TV series, Ted Lasso.

We also started watching a wonderful Danish series, set in pre war coastal Denmark, called Seaside Hotel. Based on our love of that series and the recommendation of a friend, we booked a two night stay, with half board, at an old coastal hotel on Knoll Beach, Studland near Poole, UK and loved the experience.

Some years our travel is more influenced by history, books and movies and this summer was just perfect.

Has anyone see Borgen? I watched the first couple of seasons years ago but now that they've brought back the show via Netflix I might have to start it over again.

Haha we watched so much streamed and foreign content TV during 2 1/2 years of Covid that we did watch Borgen and really liked it. We also watched the Danish/Swedish series called The Bridge and enjoyed it but found it to be the antithesis of a travel inspired show. It was always dark, gloomy and rained in every episode. The bridge fare in reality is 65€ each way so we were always adding up their fares until we read about the 24€ annual pass. Maybe police officers get an even better rate? Whereas we’re still inspired to make it to the northern tip of Denmark some day to experience something like Seaside Hotel where it was always sunny, a gentle breeze blew and the linens were freshly laundered. 😉

I loved The Bridge!

We also watched the Danish/Swedish series called The Bridge and
enjoyed it but found it to be the antithesis of a travel inspired
show. It was always dark, gloomy and rained in every episode.

The traditional Nordic Noir-weather!

We have watched a lot of movies/series based in Iceland. Most are pretty dark, but really good!

The Secret Life of Walter Mitty
Eurovision Song Contest
Out Of Thin Air
And Breathe Normally
Katla
Trapped
Case
Fortitude
The Valhalla Murders

Payton....taking the Best of Turkey Tour in October!!! I can't wait especially after watching Magnificent Century! Such a fantastic show and yes, I learned so much!

Check out the seasons of "My Brilliant Friend" on HBO, based on Elena Ferrante's best-selling series, 'The Story of the Lost Child.' There may be some sites you recognize in Italy.

The PBS series "Vienna Blood" is set obviously in Vienna ca. 1906; some the film sites I was familiar with, with others I Iearned something new.

In the spring a few months back was a German film series on two female officers part of a city police force trying to catch the "bad guys" This was a PBS German language program (a Krimi) filmed in Potsdam called "Luna and Sophie" in which these two women were partners in the Potsdam city police.

Sociologically, it was interesting to see the varied ethnic backgrounds of the German actor/actresses portraying members of Luna and Sophie's police unit.

If one is familiar with the city of Potsdam, one would certainly recognise some of famous and non-famous sites where the filming took place, sort of in terms of city scenes similar to "The Streets of San Francisco"

Love and Death.

Evita.

Phantom of the Opera.

I Spy
Spy
Mission Impossible (don't remember which one)

Die Hard (don't remember which one)

Atomic Blonde.

Red Sparrow.

All in Budapest, but none about Budapest. It has been used for Moscow, Paris. Rome, Buenos Aires among others. Rarely am I there that some part of town isn't shut down for shooting.

Still fun to spot the buildings and neighborhoods I know.

Thanks for all these suggestions!

I just re-watched My Life in Ruins the other night. It a rom-com about Greece, but there are some wonderful lines in it about Greek history.

I actually enjoy watching them after I’ve been and picking out locations that I recognize, like the square in Matera from the James Bond movie.

If you want a non-thinking, great scenery movie, Netflix is churning out a ton of romcom movies set overseas. Of course some are falling in love with royalty but there's been a ton of Netflix movies set in Rome/Italy. The scenery is gorgeous even if the storyline is eye-rolling. Seriously how many rich men and princes fall in love with humble American women?

For those who enjoy history or time-travel, I found Midnight at the Pera Palace an enjoyable Turkish fantasy/historical series.

If you're looking for a good show or movie set in Rome, then you have several options to choose from. For a classic film, you can't go wrong with Federico Fellini's "La Dolce Vita." This 1960 masterpiece chronicles a week in the life of a group of rich and famous Roman socialites, and it provides a fascinating glimpse into the city's glamorous lifestyle. If you're interested in a more recent release, then you might want to check out "The Talented Mr. Ripley." This 1999 thriller stars Matt Damon as an American con artist who murders his way to the top of Roman society. Or for something light-hearted and fun, you could try "Roman Holiday," a charming 1953 rom-com starring Audrey Hepburn as a runaway princess who falls in love with a reporter (Gregory Peck) during her brief stay in the city. Whichever Rome-based film or TV show you choose, you're sure to enjoy it.

We also started watching a wonderful Danish series, set in pre war
coastal Denmark, called Seaside Hotel. Based on our love of that
series and the recommendation of a friend, we booked a two night stay,
with half board, at an old coastal hotel on Knoll Beach, Studland near
Poole, UK and loved the experience.

I watched some of this series on PBS and another called something like "World on Fire" with Helen Hunt set in WWII Germany.

Really wish the folks adding the English subtitles would put them in a text box with a contrasting background color! White font against a white shirt, curtain or sunny window just doesn't work. Neither does a black font against a dark shirt, dark room or nighttime shot. Too frustrating to keep up.

Doc Martin - Port Wenn (irl Port Isaac). Love the show! Love the scenery!! Would love to just "move in" for awhile.

Shetland? - Shetland Islands This looks more like an "end of the world" location to me. People probably think about the US desert SW that way too.

Poldark - Cornwall coast. Love the show! Love the scenery!!

Death in Paradise - St. Marie

All Creatures Great and Small - Yorkshire? Dales. Love the show! Love the scenery!!

Can you tell I mostly watch PBS shows?