Where Was Under the Tuscan Sun Filmed? Cortona, Bramasole and the Real Locations

Quick answer: Where was Under the Tuscan Sun filmed? Most of its best-known scenes were shot in and around Cortona, including Piazza Signorelli, Piazza della Repubblica and Villa Laura. The film also used Montepulciano, Rome and Positano. The movie’s “Bramasole” is Villa Laura, while the real Bramasole from Frances Mayes’s life is a different private house near Cortona.

Under the Tuscan Sun helped define the modern screen image of Tuscany: warm stone, market squares, cypress roads and a neglected villa promising a new life. The landscape is real, but the film blends actual places with sets and substitutes—starting with its most famous house.

This guide explains the principal Under the Tuscan Sun filming locations, what you can visit and how to turn them into a practical Cortona itinerary. We checked details against the official regional tourism guide, Visit Tuscany.

Under the Tuscan Sun locations at a glance

1. Cortona: the real heart of the film

Cortona sits above the Valdichiana near the border between Tuscany and Umbria. Its steep medieval streets, Etruscan walls and expansive views make it more than a backdrop. Piazza Signorelli supplied the famous fountain sequence, although the crew built the fountain itself for filming and removed it afterwards.

Nearby Piazza della Repubblica became the bustling market where Frances begins to inhabit her new life. The Palazzo Comunale and clock tower remain exactly where viewers expect them, but normal town life has long since replaced the staged stalls.

2. Villa Laura: the Bramasole seen in the movie

The crumbling villa bought and restored by Frances is Villa Laura, not the original Bramasole described by Frances Mayes. The production needed a house that could convincingly appear neglected and undergo a screen transformation; the real Bramasole had already been renovated.

Villa Laura operates as private accommodation and an event property. Availability and access depend on its current owners and bookings. Do not approach the grounds without permission simply because the exterior appeared in a film.

3. Where is the real Bramasole?

The real Bramasole is the private home associated with writer Frances Mayes, outside Cortona. Visit Tuscany describes a walking route from the Giardini del Parterre, continuing uphill beyond the tennis club along Viale Passerini. You can recognize the house from the public route, but it remains a home, not a museum.

This distinction matters: Villa Laura is the film house; Bramasole is the real-life house. Enjoy the walk and landscape, keep noise low and never enter the driveway or grounds.

4. Montepulciano and Piazza Grande

The crew filmed the flag-throwing wedding sequence in Piazza Grande, Montepulciano, not central Cortona. The Renaissance square, cathedral and Palazzo Comunale create one of the movie’s most recognisable ceremonial settings.

Montepulciano lies roughly an hour’s drive from Cortona, so it fits naturally into a road trip through the Valdichiana and Val d’Orcia. Parking is outside much of the historic center and the final approach is uphill.

5. Rome: the beginning of the Italian detour

Before Frances reaches Tuscany, the film uses Rome for moments of comic disorientation and romance. Via dei Cappellari and Piazza di San Simeone appear among the historic-center locations. You can combine them with Piazza Navona on a compact walk through the lanes west of Campo de’ Fiori.

If Rome is part of the same journey, our Rome destination guide connects these brief screen locations with the city’s essential sights.

6. Positano and the Amalfi Coast

Frances’s romantic coastal interlude moves the story far south to Positano. Its cliffside houses, stairways and sea views are unmistakable, but geographically this is not a quick Tuscan excursion. Positano is in Campania and belongs in a separate stage of a longer Italian trip.

How to follow the film in two days

1. Day one: explore Piazza Signorelli, Piazza della Repubblica, the Parterre and Cortona’s upper viewpoints. Walk toward Bramasole only if weather and daylight are suitable.
2. Day two: drive to Montepulciano for Piazza Grande, adding Pienza or another Val d’Orcia stop if time allows.

You can reach Cortona via Camucia-Cortona or Terontola-Cortona stations, followed by local transport uphill. A car is useful for rural villas and Montepulciano, but unnecessary inside the historic center.

Best time to visit Cortona

April to June and September to October offer comfortable walking temperatures and rich countryside colors. July and August recreate the film’s golden summer mood but bring heat and greater demand. Winter is quiet and atmospheric, although daylight is shorter and some rural services reduce their hours.

For a wider regional plan, start with the Florence destination hub and compare seasons in our best time to visit Italy guide.

Planning more film stops? See where The Talented Mr. Ripley was filmed, from Ischia to Venice, and the Great Beauty filming locations in Rome.

Another Tuscan film town is Montezara, from Netflix’s La Dolce Villa. It is not a real place, and our guide to Montezara explains where it was filmed.

Live your own Tuscan summer. Frances found a new life in Cortona. You can at least borrow it for a week.

• Montepulciano wine tours: Vino Nobile, historic cellars and how to visit.
• villages in Italy in the fall: six hidden small towns at their best.
• where to stay in the Tuscan countryside: the best areas and what an agriturismo is like.
• Tuscany itinerary: five, seven or ten days, with or without a car.

Frequently asked questions

Where was Under the Tuscan Sun filmed?

The crew filmed most iconic scenes in Cortona and at Villa Laura, with additional locations in Montepulciano, Rome and Positano.

Is Bramasole the villa used in the film?

No. Villa Laura plays Frances’s villa in the movie. Bramasole is the real private home connected to author Frances Mayes.

Can you visit Villa Laura?

Villa Laura is a private accommodation and event property. Access depends on authorised bookings or arrangements; it is not an unrestricted attraction.

Was the fountain in Cortona real?

No. The crew built the fountain in Piazza Signorelli as a prop and removed it after production.

Featured image: Meg von Haartman via Unsplash, used under the Unsplash License.