Roman Holiday: how the Italian locations for the Audrey Hepburn classic look today

William Wyler’s classic romance Roman Holiday (1953) has three real stars: Audrey Hepburn, Gregory Peck and Rome. For her role as the crown princess of an unnamed nation, Hepburn won the Oscar for best actress and was thrust into the cinematic limelight. But the Italian capital makes no less of an impression, with Wyler filming the city with the enthusiasm of a passionate tourist board.

The story follows Joe (Gregory Peck), a frustrated journalist for the American New Service in Rome. On the verge of losing his job and fed up with the lack of news, he misses a possible interview with Princess Ann (Hepburn), who’s on a goodwill tour around Europe. 

Determined to see the city, Ann escapes an embassy alone at night, unconcerned by the sedatives her doctor has given her. After she falls asleep near an ancient monument, Joe chances upon her and takes her home before realising who she is. By showing her around the city and pretending not to know her identity, he may just score the biggest scoop of his career.

Given Ann’s desire to escape the day-to-day life of stuffy royalty and enjoy all of the beautiful pleasures the city has to offer, Wyler’s film features many of Rome’s most famous historic sites and areas. But as the crew were filming at the beginning of the jet-set age, many of these locations seem much quieter in the film than they do in the 21st century. Here are six locations from Roman Holiday as they stand today.

When Joe first meets Ann, she’s fast asleep next to a monument at night. The monument is the Septimius Severus Arch seen from Via della Curia. This shot is taken from a low angle looking up at both Peck and the stone designs of the monument.

When Ann wakes up, Wyler provides a wider shot of the monument. Sadly, the exact spot where this shot was taken is currently behind a barrier with maintenance work going on, though further along the wall yields similar results.

Joe eventually calls a taxi over for Ann, which pulls up on the road. This shot allows the pillars of the remaining Tempio di Saturno in the background behind the arch to be seen.

Joe takes the sleepy Ann to his flat which is situated in one of Rome’s most prestigious roads: Via Margutta. A haven for artists as well as the home of Federico Fellini and Giulietta Masina, the road is still as beautiful today as it was in the film. We first see it at night when Joe and Ann arrive in the taxi.

Joe’s flat is in the sprawling off-street array of flats behind number 51. Today, the big wooden doors seen in the shot are still present, though access to the winding stairs and squares behind is no longer possible. The next day, Ann leaves the flat and we again get a shot of the doors at number 51. The archway itself is now gated and entry is discouraged.

She then wanders back down Via Margutta. This shot shows a part of the stone-mason works at number 53 which is also briefly seen in the film. It’s also slightly different to the earlier night shot in that it shows the light coming from the neighbouring Vicolo dell’Orto di Napoli on the right.

Following Ann into town, Joe watches as the princess first gets a haircut. Afterwards, she wanders further and finds herself around the corner from Joe’s flat at the city’s famed Spanish Steps. This shot is taken of the steps from Via dei Condotti.

Ann wanders over to the lower right-hand part of the steps and is offered a gelato.

Ann then wanders right up the centre of the steps to its middle part.

Wyler shoots from a low angle up the steps as Ann enjoys her gelato, showing the towers of Trinità dei Monti at the top.

Once Joe catches up with Ann and plucks up the courage to speak to her again, Wyler shoots looking down the steps back at the Piazza di Spagna.

The road that winds at the top end of the Spanish Steps also makes an appearance in one of the film’s most famous sequences. As a ruse in order to get candid photos of her, Joe takes Ann on a scooter ride around the city. This ride starts on the Piazza della Trinità dei Monti, with this shot taken from the base of the Sallustiano Obelisk.

Joe drives the scooter around the base of the monument, the shot marked by the design of the wall that leads down to the Spanish Steps, now arguably one of the most popular spots for tourists.

Joe’s friend Irving (Eddie Albert, who also won an Oscar for his role) is secretly ahead of the pair in a car trying to get photos. This shot shows the same road with the entrance of the famous Hotel Hassler in the background.

This final shot of the area shows both the Sallustiano Obelisk along with the steps of the Trinità dei Monti.

After their day, Joe and Ann end by dancing in a bar on the River Tiber. The location is marked by the Castel Sant’Angelo in the background. Joe and Ann first walk down the steps from the Pont Sant’Angelo.

The bar was located on a kind of jetty that sat on the water with the Castel Sant’Angelo seen beautifully in the background.

Wyler looks down from the bridge to show the bar’s dancefloor. Today, the jetty has gone.

As the chaos of the scene unfolds, various authorities arrive at the distinctive pillars that adorn the bridge.

In another of the film’s most famous scenes, Joe, Ann and Irving visit the Bocca della Verità (or Mouth of Truth) statue that stands in the Basilica di Santa Maria in Cosmedin. We first see them near the site with the Tempio di Ercole Vincitore seen in the background.

The trio then enter the area of the church on Piazza della Bocca della Verità, which is today a very busy road.

The statue itself becomes a narrative device in the film, showing Joe and Ann that they may not be being as frank with each other as first appears. Today, people still visit to put their hand in the statue’s mouth, and it’s incredibly popular with tourists, undoubtedly even more so due to its part in the film.

In fact, there’s replica of Bocca della Verità at Rome Fiumicino airport for any film fans at the tail-end of their own Roman holiday.

IMDb