Focus Features

Based on the novel by E.M. Forster, this film largely set in Florence reminds us that "[o]ne doesn't come to Italy for niceness . . . one comes for life." Every place has its flaws, of course, but it just seems like there's something about Italy that changes people -- for better or worse, oftentimes both. Most people who move here have a honeymoon period with the Bel Paese (some are very, very short); this film reminds me of that romantic, exciting time of still feeling like a tourist.

If you don't love this thriller's plot of a young man doing whatever it takes to find a place in the world or the actor eye candy (Matt Damon, Jude Law, Gwyneth Paltrow, Cate Blanchett), no worries -- just sit back and enjoy the views of Rome, Venice, Naples, Ischia, Procida, and Anzio, just some of the places where this movie was filmed. Living in Italy means that these gorgeous locations are never more than a short flight or long train ride away, and many Italians do love to travel within their own country, especially in August (so don't go then if you can avoid it).

The film many American expats in Italy love to hate. Under the Tuscan Sun has rolling green hills, handsome Italian men falling all over American women, and the dream of running away to a better, more fulfilling life -- all without waiting in hours-long lines at the post office or trying to figure out whether you need a visa, a permesso, or something else entirely to stay in the country legally. No, it doesn't have much to do with real life in Italy, but hey, we watch movies to escape from reality, right?

This film set in a World War II-era concentration camp doesn't show off life in Italy per se, but it does effectively communicate one of the most overriding aspects of Italian culture: the revered status of the child. Roberto Benigni's character ingeniously makes his son believe that their time in a concentration is a big game, and that in order to survive, one must play by the rules. Poignant and charming, this film is one of the best ever to come out of Italian cinema and simply shouldn't be missed.

Salvatore Ficarra and Valentino Picone carry on Italy's centuries-old comedy tradition in this film about two friends switched at birth. When I moved to Italy and had to learn a whole new language, I felt like I lost my sense of humor on the plane -- I just didn't get Italian humor and Italians didn't get mine, that is, when I could manage to communicate it. This film helps to bridge that gap, providing insight into the everyday Italian's sense of humor as well as modern life in southern Italy, not to mention gorgeous shots of Palermo and Sicilian and Calabrian landscapes.