An open-air film set, here are the main films shot in Sardinia
On the beaches, in inland areas, in cities and small villages. And then San Salvatore di Sinis, the perfect setting for spaghetti westerns
Heavenly beaches, uncontaminated places, small ancient villages and abandoned villages, wild landscapes.
Sardinia is an open-air set, chosen for the shooting of numerous films. We list a few, starting from masterpieces that have made the history of Italian cinema.
How can we forget Mariangela Melato and Giancarlo Giannini in " Overwhelmed by an unusual destiny in the blue sea of August ", a film by Lina Wertmuller largely shot on the beach of Cala Luna, in Baunei. Or “ Deserto rosso ”, Michelangelo Antonioni's first color film, with Monica Vitti: the scene in which the protagonist Giuliana, a depressed and tormented woman, tells the story to her son Valerio, is shot on the pink beach of Budelli.
In Cargheghe, in the Sassarese area, many scenes of " Padre Padore " were filmed, a masterpiece by the Taviani brothers based on the homonymous novel by Gavino Ledda. Again: " La warm life ", a dramatic film directed by Florestano Vancini with Jacques Perrin and Catherine Spaak. The film talks about the period of the economic boom, its hypocrisies and the youthful torments of the time, with Villasimius and Cagliari in the background. The walk of the protagonists on the terrace of the Bastion of Saint Remy is beautiful, with the Sella del Diavolo in the background. “ The Cliff of Desires ”, a 1968 drama film, is mostly shot in Porto Conte, Argentiera and the island of Tavolara.
James Bond also made a stop in Sardinia. “ The Spy Who Loved Me ”, the tenth film in the saga in which agent 007 is played by Roger Moore, dates back to 1977. The Costa Smeralda had been around for about ten years, the beaches weren't as crowded as they are today and even luxury hotels were far fewer. Several scenes of the film were shot between Palau, San Pantaleo, Cala di Volpe and Cala Pitrizza, others have the promontory of Capo Caccia as a backdrop.
At the port of Palau Bond and his Russian colleague arrive aboard a buggy and take possession of the Lotus Esprit Bianca on which the breathtaking car chase is carried out which begins in the square of Borgo di San Pantaleo and continues on the panoramic Olbia-Porto Cervo, to then end on the beach of Capriccioli. Agent 007 is staying at the Cala di Volpe hotel and some scenes are also filmed in Santa Teresa Gallura.
Carlo Vanzina has chosen Sardinia for some of his films. From “ Piccolo grande amore ” (1993), starring Raul Bova, which has Baja Sardinia as its location, to “ Selvaggi ” (1995), mostly shot on the beach of Razza di Juncu, Porto Rotondo, to “ Un'estate al mare ” of 2008. Always in the same vein “ Fratelli d'Italia ” by Neri Parenti, in the part starring Christian De Sica you can clearly recognize two Sardinian locations such as the port of Olbia and the small square of Porto Rotondo. Same location for “ Vita Smeralda ” by Jerry Calà.
At the Forte Village of Santa Margherita di Pula some scenes of “ Finally happiness ” were filmed, a 2011 film by Leonardo Pieraccioni.
Several scenes were also filmed in S'Archittu, a seaside hamlet of Cuglieri. Lina Wertmuller set the initial scene of " Summer night with a Greek profile, almond eyes and the smell of basil ", with Michele Placido and Mariangela Melato. Even a film, by Rocco Papaleo set in Puglia, " A small southern enterprise ", sees many of its scenes shot between S'Archittu and the village of Cabras.
In the inland areas are set “ Proibito ” by Mario Monicelli, “ Banditi a Orgosol o” by Vittorio De Seta. Again: in " The Bible ", John Huston's 1966 blockbuster, Abraham sacrifices his son Isaac on Mount Corrasi, in the territory of Oliena.
Asinara has also been the scene of numerous films. “The fabric of dreams”, by Gianfranco Cabiddu, with Sergio Rubini and Ennio Fantastichini, talks about a heterogeneous group of shipwrecked people thrown on the “prison” island by a storm. There are four camorristi, the two guards who were accompanying them to prison and four members of a touring theater company. Among the protagonists also the director of the prison. "Era d'estate" instead speaks of the period in which Giovanni Falcone and Paolo Borsellino were transferred to Asinara to instruct the maxi-trial against Cosa Nostra in complete safety.
International cast for “ The legend of Kaspar Hauser King of Asinara ”, with Vincent Gallo and Claudia Gerini among others. “ Ariaferma ” on the other hand is a 2021 film, directed by Leonardo Di Costanzo, with Silvio Orlando and Toni Servillo: it is filmed in the abandoned prison of San Sebastiano in Sassari.
And we close with the perfect location for spaghetti western movies . Let's talk about San Salvatore di Sinis , a hamlet of Cabras. Village of medieval origin with uncultivated landscapes that recall the aridity of New Mexico and the "cumbessias", small low houses that lend themselves perfectly, it was the set of several films of the genre. Sergio Leone's " A Fistful of Dollars ", " God Forgive My Gun " and " Colt Garter ", one of Quentin Tarantino's favorite films, repeatedly honored in "Kill Bill", are just a few.
Corronca Company was the first company to invest in the village, which is ideal for making western films at low prices. So much so that a gallows, a well, the classic sheriff's office and even a real saloon were built, which was destroyed in a fire in 1991.
