Rome, with its millennial monuments, museums rich with masterpieces and viewpoints that seem to have stepped out of a painting, is one of the major protagonists of ChiaroScuro, the Netflix series set in the art world and starring Pierpaolo Spollon and Andrea Lattanzi. As the protagonists themselves and the director Jan Maria Michelini have reaffirmed, the Capital not only serves as a backdrop to the characters’ stories but helps shape the atmosphere of the series, guiding us through art galleries, historic palaces, ancient monuments and contemporary architectures.
All the filming locations of ChiaroScuro
The filming captured numerous iconic sites in Rome, but also spaces less known to the general public, linked to restoration and artistic work. And then there’s a surprise beyond the Capital: the Parco dei Mostri di Bomarzo, in the province of Viterbo, with its enigmatic sculptures set amid greenery. Have you recognized all the locations? Here is where the series was shot exactly and a guide to the real places seen on screen.
The Museums of Rome in the Spotlight
It was inevitable that the city’s artistic heritage would be one of the central elements of ChiaroScuro’s settings. After all, the world of art is closely tied to the story told by the series. Among the locations used for filming is the Galleria Nazionale d’Arte Moderna e Contemporanea, located near Villa Borghese. A museum that houses important collections of Italian and international art and that represents one of the most interesting stops for those who wish to discover Rome’s artistic heritage. Another location is the MAXXI – Museo nazionale delle arti del XXI secolo, in the Flaminio district. Designed by architect Zaha Hadid, it is one of the Capital’s most recognizable contemporary buildings with its sinuous shapes and dynamic spaces. Among the sets also has a special place Palazzo Barberini, one of the city’s most important Baroque buildings. Today home to the Galleria Nazionale d’Arte Antica, it houses an extraordinary collection of paintings and works by great masters.
The production also chose the Museo Nazionale Etrusco di Villa Giulia, housed in a splendid Renaissance villa. Completing the circuit among Rome’s cultural institutions is Villa Medici, on the Pincio hill, home to the French Academy in Rome. The villa, with its gardens, panoramic terraces and historic interiors, is a place where art, architecture and landscape meet.
The Restoration Sites and Workshops: Rome Behind the Artworks
Among the most interesting locations of ChiaroScuro are also some places less known to the public, but fundamental for the world of culture and the conservation of heritage. This is the case of the Istituto Centrale per il Restauro di Roma, one of the leading institutions in Italy for the protection and restoration of artworks. Another location is represented by the Laboratori del Teatro dell’Opera di Roma, spaces where scenographies, installations and artisanal works destined for theatrical productions take shape.
The Rome of Monuments: From the Circus Maximus to the Pantheon
Alongside museums and cultural spaces, ChiaroScuro also naturally traverses the beauty of open-air settings through its most famous monuments and some of the city’s most evocative views. One of the most recognizable places is the Circo Massimo, the ancient Roman arena used for chariot races, which lies between the Palatine Hill and the Aventine. It is right here that Cosmo’s house faces.
Among the locations is also the Fontana dell’Acqua Paola, known to Romans as the Fontanone of the Gianicolo. Built in the seventeenth century by the will of Pope Paul V, it is one of the city’s most scenographic monuments. The Fori Imperiali, one of the most important archaeological complexes in the capital, could not be missing. Another location is the Isola Tiberina, a small island in the heart of the Tiber, connected to both banks by historic bridges. Among the monuments selected is also the Pantheon, a masterpiece of ancient Roman architecture, famed for its imposing dome and the oculus at the center that lets in natural light. The journey through ancient Rome continues at the Terme di Caracalla, one of the most grandiose bath complexes of the Roman Empire.
La Lanterna and the Church of God the Father Merciful: Contemporary Architectures
Among the official locations there are also two modern architectures that showcase a different face of the Capital. The first is La Lanterna, the striking glass-walled space designed by architect Massimiliano Fuksas inside the Palazzo dell’Unione Militare, in the historic center. The other location is the Chiesa di Dio Padre misericordioso, also known as the Jubilee Church. It is located in the Tor Tre Teste district on the outskirts of Rome and was designed by American architect Richard Meier. Inaugurated in 2003, it is recognizable for its three large white cement sails that characterize the entire structure.
The Bomarzo Monster Park, the most mysterious location outside Rome
Among ChiaroScuro’s locations, the one that probably leaves the strongest impression with its atmosphere is the Bomarzo Monster Park, also known as the Sacro Bosco. It is located in Bomarzo, in the province of Viterbo, set amid the vegetation of Tuscia.
The park was created in the sixteenth century by Pier Francesco Orsini, known as Vicino Orsini, and represents one of Italy’s most singular cultural heritage sites. Inside, enormous stone sculptures depict fantastic creatures, monsters, animals and mythological figures, arranged along a path immersed in greenery. In the series it is one of the places linked to Cosmo’s childhood.
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