In the romantic comedy Under the Tuscan Sun, Diane Lane played Frances Mayes, a woman who impulsively decided to buy and restore an old house in Italy called “Bramasole.”
The movie was filmed on location at Villa Laura in Tuscany, which is actually a vacation rental today, so I thought it would be fun to revisit how it looked onscreen.
Note: This post contains affiliate links that may earn me commission.
Villa Laura in the Movie “Under the Tuscan Sun”
The house needed work, both in the movie and in real life.
Long-time readers may remember when I first featured this house on my blog back in 2009. I’ve been slowly working my way through old posts and updating them, and this one definitely deserved some bigger, better photos!
They didn’t actually change much in the house to show it had been remodeled in the movie.
Writer-director Audrey Wells says they simply “cleaned it up a little and filmed it in warmer, prettier light.”
The rental listing says:
A stay at Villa Laura is your chance to live out your own Under the Tuscan Sun. This ten-bedroom property played the role of the villa Bramasole in the film. Just as the fictional villa is given a makeover, Villa Laura was recently renovated with an eye to traditional style and touches of quiet luxury. Airy and spacious, it offers a Hollywood-worthy retreat in the Tuscan countryside near the town of Cortona.
The real-life restoration work on Villa Laura began in 2006.
There are 10 bedrooms on the property. According to the rental website:
“Every bedroom on the property is unique with beautiful original features, hand woven Busatti fabrics and the highest quality bed linen. All bedrooms rooms have air conditioning, Wi-Fi, en-suite bathrooms and its own view of the surrounding countryside.”
Have you read the book it was based on?
It’ll make you want to move to Italy. And eat pasta! 🙂
The movie is always fun to re-visit, too (Amazon affiliate links):
Like Frances, I have a habit of searching the real estate listings for local houses when I’m on vacation. Unlike Frances, however, I’ve never actually bought any of them. Darn it. Of course, she quickly realized the reality of owning an old Italian villa wasn’t quite as glamorous as it sounds…
A reader tracked down the house and sent me this snapshot of it:
Joanie wrote: “We visited Cortona a few years ago and stayed at a hotel very near to Bramasole. The picture is from the car window, as I was trying to be nonchalant!” This is why I love my readers. 🙂
To see how Villa Laura looks today and learn
and how to rent it for your next Italian vacation, visit Luxury Retreats.
Check out my Movie Houses page to see more faves I’ve featured!
