Ridley Scott’s Academy-Award winning, "Gladiator" is one of the most iconic films to come out in the past twenty years. Though set in Rome, the movie was filmed in England, Morocco and Malta with reconstructions of Ancient Roman cities and sights made specially for the production. However, two of the key scenes from the film were actually filmed in the Orcia Valley in Tuscany. This beautiful and serene landscape which has inspired poets and artists alike for thousands of years was the perfect setting for idyllic scenes that contrasted the chaos and violence of the gladiatorial battles of the film.
If you want to experience this little slice of paradise on earth for yourself, find a villa with pool in the Orcia Valley and get away from it all.
The Orcia Valley scenes of the movie work as a foil and reference point to the rest of the story. They offer an image of peaceful perfection which is rustic and Arcadian and far from the bloody conflicts which are depicted in the Empire's capital. In the first, Maximus – the hero of the tale, as played by Russell Crowe, who won an Oscar for Best Actor for his efforts – is shown returning from years at war to his homeland on horseback.
The Orcia Valley scenes of the movie work as a foil and reference point to the rest of the story. They offer an image of peaceful perfection which is rustic and Arcadian and far from the bloody conflicts which are depicted in the Empire's capital. In the first, Maximus – the hero of the tale, as played by Russell Crowe, who won an Oscar for Best Actor for his efforts – is shown returning from years at war to his homeland on horseback.
His journey brings him along a cypress tree lined avenue, so typical of Tuscany. It is only then, however, that Maximus realises that his little slice of paradise has been corrupted by the outside world and that he has arrived too late to save his family.
In the second scene filmed in the Orcia Valley, Maximus stands alone in a field of wheat, allowing the wind to brush it against his palms. Eerie light filters around him as he stands in what is, in this case in the film, quite literally paradise. This scene was filmed just at the walls of Pienza in the UNESCO World Heritage Listed Val d'Orcia.
The Orcia Valley is so very beautiful that it not only inspired art for generations, but was also chosen as a paradise on earth by the makers of “Gladiator”, make sure to explore this stunning area if you find yourself anywhere near this corner of the world.
In the second scene filmed in the Orcia Valley, Maximus stands alone in a field of wheat, allowing the wind to brush it against his palms. Eerie light filters around him as he stands in what is, in this case in the film, quite literally paradise. This scene was filmed just at the walls of Pienza in the UNESCO World Heritage Listed Val d'Orcia.
The Orcia Valley is so very beautiful that it not only inspired art for generations, but was also chosen as a paradise on earth by the makers of “Gladiator”, make sure to explore this stunning area if you find yourself anywhere near this corner of the world.
