Heard of those homes in the Italian countryside that only cost a euro? Sounds like a great deal, right? Scott Foley isn’t so sure.

In the new romantic comedy La Dolce Villa, now streaming, the Scandal star heads to Italy to stop his daughter from frittering away her entire bank account on restoring one of those villas. Of course, that’s only the beginning of his trip. By the end of it, he may have a few different ideas — about life, love, and even a decaying old villa.

“His initial determination — to save his daughter from making what he believes would be a huge mistake in purchasing property in Italy — turns out to be a sort of second chance at happiness for Eric, in so many ways,” Foley tells Tudum.

Directed by Mark Waters (Mean Girls, Mother of the Bride, Freaky Friday), written by Elizabeth Hackett and Hilary Galanoy (A Perfect Pairing, Falling Inn Love), and produced by Robyn Snyder and Deb Evans (Choose Love, A Perfect Pairing), La Dolce Villa is the kind of Italian vacation that you can take without leaving your couch. Discover the dolce vita in the Italian countryside with the trailer, which you can watch above. You can also see some new photos from the film below.

Want to learn more? Browse the prospects of La Dolce Villa with the cast and creative team now:

Matteo Graia/Netflix

What’s La Dolce Villa about?

Eric (Foley), a successful businessman, travels to Italy to stop his daydreaming daughter, Olivia (Maia Reficco), from blowing her life savings on restoring a crumbling villa she purchased for one euro. Italy, however, has different plans for him as it delivers on its legendary promise of beauty, magic, and romance. “It’s Italy, so their prospects are excellent!” teases producer Robyn Snyder. “And that romance extends to other people, their own life’s purpose, and the country itself.”

Foley sees Eric as a wonderful man who has had a hard go of things recently. “He’s desperately trying to foster a new and different relationship with his daughter as this movie unfolds,” he says. And Eric’s awakened to the unexpected when he organically and fortuitously meets Francesca (Violante Placido) on his travels, who, like him, is also single later in life. 

“All I will say is that we meet both Eric and Olivia’s respective love interests, Francesca and Giovanni (Giuseppe Futia), right at the beginning, but our leads will need to overcome quite a few obstacles, both internal and situational, before they can settle into their happiness,” says Waters. “As Francesca says in the movie, ‘The path to true love is never smooth.’ ” Ain’t that the truth!

Giulia Parmigiani/Netflix

Who’s in the cast of La Dolce Villa?

Alongside Foley, La Dolce Villa stars Maia Reficco (Do Revenge, Pretty Little Liars: Original Sin) as Olivia. “They’re both excellent, grounded, fabulous actors and humans,” says Snyder. Also joining the cast are Violante Placido (The American, Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengeance) as Francesca and Hollywood newcomer Giuseppe Futia as Giovanni.

Although Foley and Reficco had a virtual introduction ahead of production, they hadn’t met in person before they landed in Rome. As Waters remembers it, they sparked an immediate, comedic friendship right away that continued into filming. “I would often have to get them to quiet down and stop laughing when we were about to roll, because they kept a light, humorous banter going throughout the shooting day,” says the director. 

Giulia Parmigiani/Netflix

Waters credits the actors’ own family ties (Foley is the father of three and Reficco is close with her own extended family) with helping to bolster their dynamic on-screen. “They understood that love between family members can take many shapes and forms, so even when they are butting heads at the beginning of the picture, you can still sense that deep bond between them,” he says.

While Foley wouldn’t say that he and Reficco necessarily formed a father-daughter relationship off-screen, their friendship has definitely extended beyond the set. “She knows that if I can ever help her with advice or a home-cooked meal, I’m always available,” says Foley, who went to see Reficco’s Broadway debut in Hadestown. “My wife and I were so thrilled to get to see her perform.”

Giulia Parmigiani/Netflix

Did La Dolce Villa really film in Italy?

Yes, production really went to Italy to film at the eponymous La Dolce Villa for more than four weeks. “I’d go back to Italy this afternoon to shoot another project,” says Foley. La Dolce Villa filmed in Rome, eastern Lazio, and Tuscany, with the interiors of the villa built at Cinecittá Studios in Rome (the famous studio where Fellini filmed La Dolce Vita in 1960; more recently where comedy series The Decameron filmed). They shot the exteriors in eastern Lazio about 45 minutes outside the Eternal City at a place called Torrino del Gelsi. This property actually rents out as an event venue, so if you want to see La Dolce Villa after watching, you can definitely go and visit — as long as there isn’t a wedding on-site that day.

Most everywhere else, including the fictional village of “Montazara,” was shot in two small cities in Tuscany, San Quirico d’Orcia and Pienza. “We chose these places because they just had the perfect look and scale for what we envisioned as Montezara,” Waters explains. “It could not be as big as a Siena or even a Montepulciano, but big enough that there could be a central square and restaurants, and you could believe they might actually have a mayor.”

They also shot in a working train station, Stazione Trastevere, in Rome, and Montepulciano serves as the location for the old file room where various characters end up searching through at different times in the film. “Documents in there legitimately date back to the 1300s!” says Snyder. “We were all so grateful and excited that we were allowed to be there at all, much less able to shoot in such an amazing location steeped in authentic history.”

You might also notice that the three Antonia’s are sitting at a fountain in one of the pictures. The film production actually designed and installed that fountain. “The day we wrapped and took it down, the townspeople were disappointed because the piazza really needs a fountain,” says Waters.

Can I see some photos from La Dolce Villa?

Ovviamente. Bask in the beauty of Italy with these photos above. “Italy is everything you expect and hope it will be. It never disappoints,” says Snyder. 

When will La Dolce Villa be on Netflix?

You can enter La Dolce Villa now. And, remember, it’s never too late to renovate your life.

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