Cinema buffs are well aware of the key role played by Rome’s Cinecittà Studios in film industry annals: It has hosted more than 3,000 productions by filmmakers such as Francis Ford Coppola, Martin Scorsese, and Mel Gibson, as well as many Italian directors, including Federico Fellini, Roberto Rossellini, Luchino Visconti, and Bernardo Bertolucci, to name a few. An astonishing 48 of the films made, in whole or in part, at Cinecittà have received Academy Awards, with 83 earning nominations.
Cinecittà is still a hub of the European film industry, and also caters to the entire production chain of TV, publicity spots, and video clips. Its leading-edge 25-suite digital department is perfectly integrated with other cutting-edge post-production services, such as Cinecittà Sound Art, which addresses sound and video post-production needs.
Its studios now also host large television productions, such as Roberto Benigni’s December 2014 monologue on The Ten Commandments, a prime-time blockbuster on national broadcaster RAI’s flagship Channel 1.
Cinecittà hit the headlines recently with the launch (following an investment of 250 million euros) of Cinecittà World (CCW), a theme park with high-tech multimedia content and an original slant: It is Italy’s first theme park dedicated to the cinema world.
Open over 260 days a year (one of the longest seasons in Europe), CCW offers a unique experience—a gateway to the magic world of cinema. Through performances in its four theatres and its 20 attractions, visitors are transported into an imaginary world where they become the protagonists, traveling through the park’s eight sets with themes that include western, science fiction, ancient Rome, and 1920s New York, and are designed by triple Oscar-winning production designer Dante Ferretti.
Located in Castel Romano (9.3 miles from Rome) in the former home of Dino De Laurentis film studios, CCW is dedicated to cinema and entertainment and also has several quality restaurants, each with its own exclusive theme and Italian cuisine.