Rome Adventure

Pleshette arrives to face the music at her New England school for lending a romantic novel to a student. Possibly the USA, though most of the film is set in Italy... And Manuel Gurtner has done some serious sleuthing here. This shot of “Briarcroft College For Women” is lifted from “Parrish” (1961), also starring Donahue, featuring Sharon Hugueny as Paige Raike in front of Jack Warner's Beverly Hills Estate in Los Angeles.

Pleshette and Fancher are given a tour of the sites of Rome by Brazzi.

The Colosseum as seen from the Via di San Gregorio looking north. A very similar shot second unit shot was seen in Spectre. SJ

Brazzi delivers Pleshette and Fancher to their Rome base. Unknown location for the time being, though that column should help...Solved by Manuel "Here we are on the Pincian Hill (Pincio) and Brazzi has stopped his Maserati Spyder Vignale next to the staircase of the Casina Valadier, near the park Villa Borghese. In the background the Antinous obelisk (Obelisco Pinciano) on the square at the Viale dell’Obelisco can be seen." And I'll add my bit: also seen in The Roman Spring of Mrs Stone (1961).

Donahue parks his moped at Roma Termini in an attempt to stop Dickinson departing.

He moves through hurriedly through the entrance hall of Termini.

Brazzi takes Pleshette to the Castel Sant'Angelo. The Ponte Sant'Angelo, which also has fleeting scenes in 'Locker Sixty Nine' and 'Mrs Brown You’ve Got a Lovely Daughter'.

The Ponte Sant'Angelo by SJ.

Pleshette explores solo.

The base of the Scalinata dell'Ara Coeli and Scalinata del Campidoglio, also seen in 'To Rome with Love'. SJ

Pleshette in the courtyard of the Capitoline museum.

Miguel Bartoli sent this in. The index finger (out of shot) is pointing up. (SJ)

The noonday gun fires from the Gianicolo hill just below the Garibaldi monument.

Miguel B. got his timing just right. (SJ)

The Piazza San Pietro looking west in a shot taken early before the crowds.

St Peter's Basilica/Basilica di San Pietro. SJ

Crossing the Ponte Cestio, shot from the Trastavere side.

Looking north-west. SJ

Pleshette applies for a job at "The American Bookshop."

Attractive position for the shop near the north side of the Piazza Navona with a view of the Fontana del Nettuno. SJ

The west side of the Piazza Navona.

Now the Tre Scalini restaurant. SJ

Donahue and Pleshette meet at a café in the Piazza Navona. The piazza can also be seen in several other productions including 'Locker Sixty Nine', 'Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow', 'The Seven Hills of Rome', 'The Roman Spring of Mrs. Stone', 'The Adventurers' and 'Blue Murder at St. Trinian's'.

From the east side with the Fontana dei Fiumi to the left. SJ

Some dining up in the hills with a lake view and a hawker selling a candelabrum... After a thorough search Manuel G has found it. "Indeed we are in the Alban Hills (Colli Albani), located 20 km southeast of Rome. From the terrace of the then Albergo Monte Cavo the Lake Albano and the small town of Rocca di Papa can be seen. The hotel certainly existed until the 1970s, but has long been abandoned and decaying." Great work.

Robin Curtis from San Francisco, CA, has highlighted with three red arrows buildings seen in the original above Donahue's head. While we tend not use GEV for already identified locations, this has the advantage of the correct angle for anyone visiting Cell Phone Tower Hill to snap an original as well as illustrating how much development there has been since 1962. (SJ)

Donahue escorts Pleshette back to work.

A view of the restaurant Quattro Fiumi next to the bookshop. Now two restaurants sit side by side. SJ

Donahue and Pleshette take a coach for a tour of Italy. The Piazza della Repubblica, probably shot from the bell tower of the Santa Maria degli Angeli e dei Martiri... or so I thought six years ago but in fact this is looking south-east towards the Via delle Terme, not south-west with fresh investigation by Robin Curtis.

Robin provides a GEV shot which shows that the camera was probably placed on or near the roof of the building on the foreground. (SJ)

First on the itinerary is just south of Rome.

The classical site of Ostia, the old harbour town. Taken from the higher reaches of the theatre looking south down the Viale degli Scavi. SJ

Marble theatre masks by the theatre at Ostia.

Still there grinning/grimacing away. Regio ii, insula viii. SJ

The theatre of Ostia. As near as I could be without the camera crane which must have been used for the film. SJ

Parco dei Mostri in the Sacro Bosco near Bomarzo, north of Rome.

The well-named Parco dei Mostri.

This was taken by LA-based Christina whose cooking (with some travel) site Christina's Cucina. This links (copy and paste) to her other photos in the Bomarzo Park: https://www.christinascucina.com/bomarzo-monster-park-in-italy-bomarzo-parco-dei-mostri-sacro-bosco/ (SJ)

Still at the park just west of Bomarzo in North Lazio.

Piazza Grande, Arezzo, Tuscany... Manuel adds, "One of the oldest traditions is the Giostra del Saracino (Joust of the Saracen), a colourful spectacle, held twice every year - on the third Saturday in June and on the first Sunday in September."

Manuel's Google shot shows the square looking towards the Via Giorgio Vasari. (SJ)

Pleshette and Donahue lean to the romantic side at the Torre di Pisa.

Back south now to Orvieto Cathedral.

Manuel's Google shot looking towards the steps in front of the Cattedrale di Santa Maria Assunta, constructed under the orders of Pope Urban IV and completed 1591. (SJ)

Lago Maggiore ... "Pleshette and Donahue are standing with the other tourists on the shores of the Lago Maggiore in Stresa. In the background two of the famous Borromean Islands (Isole Borromee) can be seen, Isola Bella on the left and Isola Madre on the right." With thanks to Manuel for filling in the detail.

A comparison view from the lungolago at Stresa. In fact the filming location was on the shore nearby the Grand Hotel Bristol, sent in by Manuel on Google. (SJ)

The terraced gardens of Isola Bella in Lake Maggiore north-west of Milan.

Pleshette and Donahue survey the vista from the top of the terrace in the western spur of the lake.

Great health and safety-free lift in the Dolomites! I gather they are still in use on the island of Elba.

The Rifugio Toni Demetz as the helpful sign indicates. North-east of Verona.

Val Gardena area, as another shot shows Fischburg Castle as they chat to the owner with the broken leg on the verandah. It must be somewhere just north of the SS242 ... Thank you Manuel once again, proving I had the right idea. "This is the Villa Capriolo, located in Selva di Val Gardena (Wolkenstein in Gröden), then still completely free standing, at the end of today's Strada di Plan da Tieja. The chalet has been owned by the Jesuits since the late 1960s and has changed a bit meanwhile. The white building seen in the background is named Col dala Pelda." (SJ)

The touring continues with a well-behaved crowd of onlookers sticking to the pavement! Piazza San Durich, Ortisei/Urtijëi in the Dolomites close to Austria. In the background, the Chiesa Parrochiale San Ulrico.

Juliet's balcony attached to the Casa di Giulietta, Via Cappello, Verona

Manuel Gurtner says, "The famous balcony, now without greenery and spruced up. Apparently I caught the only three-second moment of the whole day without anyone on the balcony." (SJ)

An enthusiastic crowd gathers for Donahue's rendition of Romeo and Juliet. This is the courtyard which contains the balcony... Manuel adds, "A comparison shot is only possible from the balcony, but the queue at the entrance to Casa di Giulietta was too long. The passageway is now only used as exit towards Via Capello, while visitors enter the inner courtyard just around the corner by Vicolo Crocioni alley from the right side." (SJ)

Scaligero/Castel Vecchio Bridge, Verona.

Manuel's comparison view from Ponte Scaligero, or Ponte Vecchio, towards the tower of Castelvecchio, but taken a little closer to the Giardini Alessandro Canestrari, to avoid the crowds. The original bridge, built from 1355 to 1357 as a safe escape route across the river Adige, was largely destroyed during the retreat of German troops on April 1945. A true-to-original restoration began in 1949 and was completed in 1951.

Ponte Pietra as seen from the Lungoadige San Giorgio looking east.

A little further on with Verona Cathedral coming into view.

Coming from the market square Piazza delle Erbe, visible in the background at the end of the passage way, Troy Donahue and Suzanne Pleshette run across the inner courtyard towards Scala della Ragione, Verona

Manuel's comparison view from the courtyard, called Mercato Vecchio, towards the stairway at Palazzo della Ragione, a medieval building complex in which justice was administered, dominated by Torre dei Lamberti.

Piazza dei Signori, Verona... This shot was taken. looking south-west, above the Arco di Tortura, the archway leading to Via Santa Maria Antica and connecting Palazzo del Podestà with Palazzo del Capitanio, also known as Palazzo di Cansignorio.

Similar comparison shot from ground level across the square with Dante memorial by Ugo Zannoni. Visible from left to right archway leading to Via della Costa and Piazza delle Erbe, Palazzo Domus Nova (Palazzo dei Giudici), Casa della Pietà and archway leading to Via delle Fogge. Manuel

Back in the Piazza Navona. Same bar as capture 14.

The view now. SJ

A grand hotel...Indeed, that’s the Grand Hotel des Iles Borromées, located in Stresa, observes Manuel G

And Manuel's Google proof from the Corso Umberto I towards the splendid 5-star hotel. (SJ)