Is Montezara a Real Place? La Dolce Villa’s Town Explained

Updated September 24, 2026.

No, Montezara is not a real place. It is the fictional Tuscan town in Netflix’s La Dolce Villa (2025). The town scenes were filmed in San Quirico d’Orcia, a real village in the Val d’Orcia in southern Tuscany, while the villa’s exterior is a property in eastern Lazio and its interiors were shot at Cinecittà studios in Rome (TheWrap, February 2025).

Is Montezara a real town in Italy?

No. In fact, the filmmakers invented Montezara as a small Tuscan town selling abandoned houses for one euro. Director Mark Waters told TheWrap he wanted a place that looked a little run-down rather than polished, and the crew dressed the real town to fit: they changed some storefronts, added awnings and put a fountain in the main square. The name exists elsewhere only by coincidence: TheWrap notes a winery called Monte Zara.

Where was La Dolce Villa filmed?

So the film’s “Tuscan villa” is not in Tuscany at all. If you want to stand where the town scenes were shot, San Quirico d’Orcia is the place to go.

How to visit the real Montezara: San Quirico d’Orcia

San Quirico d’Orcia sits on the Via Cassia in the Val d’Orcia, the valley of rolling hills and cypress rows between Siena and Monte Amiata. The Val d’Orcia has been a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 2004. The town is small enough to walk in an hour, which is why most visitors combine it with the nearby hill towns of Pienza, Montalcino and Montepulciano.

• By car: the easiest way. After all, the Val d’Orcia towns sit far apart, and public transport between them stays limited.
• On a day trip: tours from Florence and Siena cover the Val d’Orcia hill towns in one day, with the driving done for you.
• Best season: spring and fall, for green or golden hills and fewer day-trippers than in summer.

Val d’Orcia day trips from Florence and Siena

How we picked: day trips that visit the Val d’Orcia hill towns, rated 4.5 or higher on Viator with more than 300 reviews on September 24, 2026. Neither tour lists San Quirico d’Orcia as a stop, so plan extra time if the film location is your goal.

Affiliate link: Italy2Love earns a commission if you book, at no extra cost to you.

• From Florence: a full day with Brunello wine in Montalcino, Pienza and Montepulciano, by air-conditioned van. Rated 4.6 from 412 reviews, from about $266 per person (checked September 2026). See the Val d’Orcia tour from Florence on Viator.
• From Siena: a small-group trip to Pienza and Montepulciano through the Crete Senesi hills, with lunch and a winery visit. Rated 4.9 from 332 reviews, from about $220 per person (checked September 2026). See the Pienza and Montepulciano trip on Viator.

Staying in Florence and short on time? Our Tuscany day trip to Siena, San Gimignano and Pisa and Chianti wine tour from Florence pages compare closer options, and the best tours in Italy hub has every category.

Are one-euro houses in Italy real?

Yes, the film’s plot borrows a real idea: several Italian towns have offered abandoned houses for one euro to attract new residents, usually with an obligation to renovate. Montezara’s version is fiction, but you can read how real schemes work in our guide to 1 euro homes in Italy.

Since the filming town sits in the Val d’Orcia, you can pair a visit with a wine day nearby. Our guide to Montalcino wine tours explains how to see Montalcino and Montepulciano without driving after tastings.

Find your own Montezara. The town may be fictional, yet the dream is real. So here is how to live it in Tuscany.

• Under the Tuscan Sun filming locations: first, see Cortona and the real Bramasole.
• villages in Italy in the fall: next, discover six hidden small towns at their best.
• where to stay in the Tuscan countryside: then, compare the best areas and see what an agriturismo is like.
• Tuscany itinerary: finally, plan five, seven or ten days, with or without a car.

FAQ

Is Montezara a real place?

No. Montezara is a fictional Tuscan town created for the Netflix film La Dolce Villa. Its town scenes were filmed in San Quirico d’Orcia, in the Val d’Orcia in Tuscany.

Where is the villa from La Dolce Villa?

The villa’s exterior is a property in eastern Lazio, not in Tuscany, and its interiors were filmed on sound stages at Cinecittà in Rome.

Can you visit San Quirico d’Orcia?

Yes. It is a small, walkable town on the Via Cassia in the Val d’Orcia, easiest to reach by car or as part of a day in the Val d’Orcia from Florence or Siena.

Can you really buy a house in Italy for one euro?

Some Italian towns have run one-euro house schemes for abandoned properties, usually with an obligation to renovate. Montezara’s scheme in the film is fictional.

Sources and verification

Filming locations, director’s comments and cast: TheWrap, “Netflix’s La Dolce Villa Filmed in These Idyllic Italian Towns,” February 14, 2025, read on September 24, 2026. Val d’Orcia World Heritage listing: UNESCO, 2004. Tour ratings and prices: Viator, checked on September 24, 2026. Photos: LigaDue (featured image, CC BY-SA 4.0) and Roman Harak (CC BY-SA 2.0), via Wikimedia Commons.