Film Tour of Milan and the Surrounding Area: You See Them Every Day, but They’re 25 Sets from Cult Movies and TV Series

If you’re wondering where movies were filmed in Milan, start here. In the finale of Vittorio De Sica’s *Miracle in Milan*, the protagonists steal brooms from the street sweepers in a crowded Piazza Duomo and fly away. In *The Country Boy*, Pozzetto drives his tractor into the square. Guadagnino, on the other hand, takes Tilda Swinton to wander atop the Duomo in search of comfort. The square is free; the terraces require a fee.

• I Am Love (2009)
• The Country Boy (1984)
• Rocco and His Brothers (1960)
• Totò, Peppino, and the… Naughty Girl (1956)
• Miracle in Milan (1951)

Just a stone’s throw from the Duomo, behind the Palazzo della Ragione, lies one of the city’s most cinematic squares. Among the films set in Milan, *Ask Me If I’m Happy* was shot almost entirely in Rome: only a few scenes were actually filmed in the city. One is right here—the “America’s Cup” scene with the Carabinieri. Don’t look for the statue of the saint used as a basketball hoop: it was added for the film.

• Ask Me If I’m Happy (2000)
• The Cynic, the Infamous, the Violent (1977)

Milan’s “salotto buono” is also a highly sought-after film set. In the trailer for *The Devil Wears Prada 2*, Miranda Priestly walks through a dark Galleria devoid of tourists. For *Gangs of Milano*, it wasn’t possible to lay tracks for the cameras in the Galleria, so the camera operators moved them by hand. Several action scenes were filmed in Piazza Cordusio, including a car crash. Free admission.

• The Devil Wears Prada 2 (2026)
• Gangs of Milano (TV series, 2025)

In Pablo Larraín’s*Maria*, Angelina Jolie plays Callas right on the stage of the Piermarini, and she recounted that she sang at La Scala while trembling. Sorrentino also filmed there for *La grazia*, the film that opened the 2025 Venice Film Festival: filming took place in Turin, Milan (Teatro alla Scala), and Rome. Just a short walk away, at Via Clerici 5, stands Palazzo Clerici, whose stately interiors were used for the sequel starring Meryl Streep. It is open to the public only during guided tours and events.

• The Devil Wears Prada 2 (2026)
• Grace (2025)
• Maria (2024)
• Miracle in Milan (1951)

In *The Devil Wears Prada 2*, the Runway fashion show is set in the courtyard of honor at the Brera Academy, with Canova’s statue of Napoleon at its center. The courtyard, located at Via Brera 28, is generally open to the public. In the Quadrilatero district, you’ll find Il Salumaio di Montenapoleone at Via Santo Spirito 10, the restaurant frequented by Andy (Anne Hathaway) and Miranda. A little further on is Palazzo Parigi at Corso di Porta Nuova 1, whose lobby, bar, and exterior are featured in the film. Via Montenapoleone also served as the backdrop for *House of Gucci*.

• The Devil Wears Prada 2 (2026)
• House of Gucci (2021)

This is the stretch where the Country Boy loses his battle with traffic. Artemio abandons the tractor and continues on foot toward Piazza San Babila, where, however, the city’s traffic overwhelms him once again. The same stretch also appears in the film about Renato Vallanzasca.

• Vallanzasca – The Angels of Evil (2010)
• The Country Boy (1984)

The villa designed by Portaluppi at Via Mozart 14, now owned by the FAI, is the true co-star of *I Am Love*. More recently, it appeared in *House of Gucci*, starring Lady Gaga and Adam Driver. You need a ticket to see the interiors, but access to the garden and the café is free. *Io sono l’amore* was also filmed along Corso Venezia. Nearby, in Piazza Eleonora Duse, scenes from *Miss Italia * and *Ricomincio da Taaac*—the second film by *Il Milanese Imbruttito*—were shot. A little further on, you’ll find the Ulrico Hoepli Planetarium, the setting for Antonioni’s *Chronicle of a Love Affair *.

• I’ll Start Over at Taaac (2024)
• House of Gucci (2021)
• I Am Love (2009)
• Miss Italia (1950)
• Chronicle of a Love Affair (1950)

The University of Milan, housed in the historic Ca’ Granda, appears among the Milanese locations in *House of Gucci*. In the surrounding alleys, between Largo Richini and Vicolo Santa Caterina, the character “Signor Imbruttito” from *Ricomincio da Taaac* also made an appearance .

• I’m Starting Over at Taaac (2024)
• House of Gucci (2021)

Along Corso di Porta Ticinese lies the Milan of *Fedeltà*, with the southern section near the Colonne di San Lorenzo. In Carlo Lizzani’s *Lo svitato*, Dario Fo runs into Via Caprara, behind the basilica. Today, that view of the church is almost completely blocked by a building constructed later. The film was restored by Cineteca Milano and re-released with previously unseen scenes to mark the centennial of Fo’s birth. In Piazza Sant’Eustorgio, meanwhile, Artemio meets his cousin Severino (Massimo Boldi) and recognizes him only “by his voice!”

• *Fidelity* (TV series, 2022)
• The Country Boy (1984)
• The Madman (1956)

These are among the famous Milanese locations that 1970s noir—the “poliziottesco”—transformed into film sets, from Di Leo to Boisset. The bridge over Milan’s Naviglio Grande ( Calibro 9 ) was made of concrete and served solely as a pedestrian walkway. In *Eccezzziunale… veramente*, one of the courtyards at the beginning of Ripa di Porta Ticinese becomes the headquarters of the Milan Club Ultras. Today, *Fedeltà* and *L’Imbruttito* also take place along the Navigli.

• I’m Starting Over at Taaac (2024)
• *Fedeltà* (TV series, 2022)
• Exceptional… Truly (1982)
• Milan Caliber 9 (1972)
• The Mafia Orders (1972)
• The Case of “Private Venus” (1970)

The building at 52 Viale Bligny, in the Bocconi neighborhood, was a temple of Milanese boxing. Between 1949 and 1961, champions such as Duilio Loi and Nino Benvenuti fought in its ring. It was the writer Giovanni Testori, who was often in the audience, who convinced Visconti to film Alain Delon’s boxing matches here. The building has changed uses several times, so just enjoy it from the outside.

• Rocco and His Brothers (1960)

Among the Milanese locations featured in the sequel starring Meryl Streep is the churchyard of Santa Maria delle Grazie. But don’t be fooled: the Last Supper shown in the film was reconstructed elsewhere. A few minutes’ walk further on, in Piazza Filangieri, Duca Lamberti and Livia Ussaro go to pick up Carolina at the Cesare Beccaria juvenile detention center in *I ragazzi del massacro*.

• The Devil Wears Prada 2 (2026)
• The Boys of the Massacre (1969)

The Monumentale Cemetery is an open-air museum. In *I Am Love*, it hosts a dramatic scene. Heading northwest, you’ll find the Ponte della Ghisolfa, the backdrop for the story of the Lucanian family in *Rocco and His Brothers*. A little further on is Piazzale Lugano, another Milanese stop on Artemio’s journey.

• I Am Love (2009)
• The Country Boy (1984)
• Rocco and His Brothers (1960)

It’s the favorite filming location in contemporary Milan and the easiest answer to “where were TV series filmed in Milan?” In *Studio Battaglia*, the rival firm Zander e Associati is located in the Porta Nuova area, with the Bosco Verticale in the background. For *Ricomincio da Taaac*, Piazza Gae Aulenti, the Biblioteca degli Alberi, and the Bosco Verticale serve as the backdrop for filming. Free admission.

• I’m Starting Over at Taaac (2024)
• The Last Night of Love (2023)
• Studio Battaglia (TV series, 2022)
• *Fedeltà* (TV series, 2022)

In *I Cannibali*, Liliana Cavani’s dystopian reinterpretation of *Antigone*, the square appears in one of the film’s most powerful shots, with corpses lying on the ground. In *Fedeltà*, on the other hand, the square’s skyscrapers serve as the backdrop to the physical therapy office where Andrea works.

• *Fedeltà* (TV series, 2022)
• The Cannibals (1970)

Centrale is one of Milan’s streets that you’ve seen on TV countless times, across very different eras. *I Am Love* opens right here, with the snow-covered station. *Milan Caliber 9* was also filmed on location at authentic sites like the station in Piazza Duca d’Aosta. Opposite it stands Gio Ponti’s Pirellone, which had just been completed in Antonioni’s *La Notte *.

• House of Gucci (2021)
• I Am Love (2009)
• Milan, Caliber 9 (1972)
• La notte (1961)
• Rocco and His Brothers (1960)
• Totò, Peppino, and the… Naughty Girl (1956)

In Lambrate, Visconti filmed several scenes from *Rocco and His Brothers*. Just a short walk from the Valvassori Peroni Library is the apartment building on Via Birago where Rocco’s family settles after arriving from the South. De Sica also passed through Lambrate Station in *Miracle in Milan*, while Piazzale Loreto is another stop in *The Country Boy*.

• The Country Boy (1984)
• Popular Novel (1974)
• Rocco and His Brothers (1960)
• Miracle in Milan (1951)

The three towers have become the visual shorthand for “Milan today.” In *Studio Battaglia*, the law firm at the center of the story overlooks the CityLife skyscrapers. In *Fedeltà*, Carlo and Margherita stop here to argue on their way home from a night out.

• Gangs of Milano (TV series, 2025)
• Studio Battaglia (TV series, 2022)
• *Fedeltà* (TV series, 2022)

The “Scala del Calcio” is the natural setting for *Eccezzziunale… veramente*, where Diego Abatantuono plays the roles of three soccer fans: a Milan fan, an Inter fan, and a Juventus fan. The stadium has been owned by Milan and Inter since November 2025, and plans for the new facility are underway. Before you go, check the status of construction in the area.

• The Country Boy (1984)
• Exceptional… Truly (1982)

This is the Milan of the suburbs as depicted in *Blocco 181*. The “Blocco” that gives the series its title was reconstructed in the Barona neighborhood; other locations used include Via Inganni, Corvetto, and Giambellino-Lorenteggio. Fun fact: the spin-off *Gangs of Milano*, though set here, was filmed largely in Turin.

• Blocco 181 (TV series, 2022)

Few people know that within the city limits there’s a Cistercian abbey surrounded by countryside. Mr. Imbruttito visited it for *Ricomincio da Taaac*, with scenes filmed at the abbey and in the farmhouses in the area, between Via Sant’Arialdo and Cascina San Bernardo. It’s the perfect final stop if you’re in the mood for some greenery.

• I’m Starting Over at Taaac (2024)

The “sea of Milanese,” near Linate, already appeared in postwar cinema. In addition to Antonioni’s*Chronicle of a Love Affair*, it serves as the backdrop for *Rocco and His Brothers*, along with the Ghisolfa Bridge.

• Rocco and His Brothers (1960)
• Chronicle of a Love Affair (1950)

The former industrial town north of Milan appears in three arthouse films directed by Antonioni, Pasolini, and Monicelli.

• Popular Novel (1974)
• Oedipus Rex (1967)
• La notte (1961)

In Castellazzo di Bollate, the 18th-century villa known since the days of the Grand Tour as “the little Versailles” is the setting for the exclusive party attended by Miranda Priestly during Fashion Week.

• The Devil Wears Prada 2 (2026)