Italy is undoubtedly one of the most beautiful countries in the world. So, it’s no surprise that the streets of its many picturesque and photo-ready cities have often served as the perfect backdrop for iconic movies and music videos. As a music lover, I can’t help but remember all the music videos I know that were shot in Italy each time I visit this European country.
If you’re like me and find anything about pop culture fascinating, keep reading as I share a list of music videos with Italy as their location.
Top 5 Music Videos Made in Italy
1. Madonna – Like A Virgin
Of course, no other than Madonna’s iconic Like A Virgin music video could be number one on this list. The video, directed by Mary Lambert, was shot in 1984 between Venice and New York to honor the singer’s Italian background and the city that witnessed her, at the time, still-burgeoning career as a pop star.
Like a Virgin was the first single off Madonna’s second studio album by the same name. It features the queen of pop strutting through Venice’s streets and dancing on a gondola. The video also features a real lion, the city’s symbol, and a man wearing a lion mask that may represent the city’s world-renowned carnival. Venician landmarks in the video include the Grand Canal and the Rialto Bridge.
In some video scenes, the singer wears a white lace wedding gown. She said this dress would contrast her “modern-day, worldly-wise girl” personality by presenting her as a virginal bride that the song’s title suggests. And since Madonna means “Virgin Mary” in Italian, this wardrobe choice had an even deeper meaning. Madonna would later wear another wedding dress while performing this hit single live in her iconic 1984 MTV Video Music Awards performance. Years later, Madonna would pay homage to the video and its performance with Britney Spears and Christina Aguilera wearing wedding gowns while singing the song together for the 2003 VMAs.
To this day, you can still see people trying to recreate scenes from the video in Venice. Well, at least I remember seeing someone going for it on a gondola during my time in the city. Whether the attempt was successful or not, I’d rather not say!
Several years and records later, Madonna shot the video for the single Turn Up The Radio from 2012’s MDNA in Florence.
2. Sophie Ellis-Bextor – Catch You
Moving from one pop star to another, Sophie Ellis-Bextor’s music video for Catch You was also shot in Venice, Italy.
The video starts with Sophie giving off supermodel vibes in a striking red dress inside a gorgeous palazzo. Then, when the chorus kicks in, we see her running through Venice’s streets and canals, seemingly looking for the runaway lover the song talks about. Like Madonna, Ellis-Bextor also appears on a gondola in the video.
The video was directed by Grammy Award winner Sophie Muller, who has directed famous videos for artists like Garbage and Annie Lennox. Catch You was the lead single off Sophie Ellis-Bextor’s third album, Trip The Light Fantastic, released in 2007.
I remembered this video in Venice while trying to “catch” the perfect gelato, which also made me think, “Wow, that song should’ve been bigger.”
3. Gwen Stefani – Cool
Gwen Stefani’s Cool was the third single from her first solo record, Love. Angel. Music. Baby. (2004). The song, one of my top 10 favorite songs of all time, is an unusual post-breakup story about being on good terms with your ex.
Stefani’s relationship with Tony Kanal inspired the song. Kanal played the bass in No Doubt, the band that made both famous. So, essentially, the song is about how they got from Don’t Speak to Cool, a contrast from most breakup tracks that feature bitter lyrics.
The video, like Sophie Ellis Bextor’s Catch You, was directed by Sophie Muller. We see a juxtaposition of a past and present Gwen Stefani in it. In the past, she’s in Lake Como, one of Italy’s most exclusive destinations. We see her with a boyfriend, having popsicles, getting ready to swim, or riding in a Vespa, rocking a darker hair color. Meanwhile, with signature blonde hair, present Gwen invites her now ex and his new girlfriend to her breathtaking mansion for coffee. I remember watching this video and falling in love with a place I’ve never been to; that’s the magic of using Italy as a location for music videos.
Like Madonna, Gwen also shot a second music video in Italy. Scenes of Early Winter, the fifth single from her second album, The Sweet Escape (2006), feature a palace in Milan. However, the rest of the clip showcases locations in Budapest and Prague. Sophie Miller was also the director behind this clip, and Stefani wears a dress by the Italian fashion house Dolce & Gabanna in most of the scenes.
4. Harry Styles – Golden
Another band member-turned-solo star to make the list is Harry Styles. The former One Direction member shot the music video for his song Golden in Italy’s dazzling Amalfi Coast.
In the video, Harry runs through an empty road, which is unusual for this touristy area. We also see him driving and swimming.
The song was the fourth single from his second studio album, Fine Line, released in 2019. The video was directed by Ben Turner and Gabe Turner and premiered in 2020. This is the most recent iconic music video made in Italy.
5. U2 – All I Want Is You
Moving on to one of the biggest bands in the world, the music video for U2’s All I Want is You also features an Italian location.
The cinematic black-and-white clip tells a story of unrequited love between two circus performers. Although the first part of the video mostly shows the circus tent and trailers, the second half uses Ostia, a coastal town outside of Rome, as its backdrop. The clip briefly features the band and is an excellent homage to legendary Italian film director Federico Fellini.
Bonus: Laura Pausini – Vivimi
Although not as famous as other entries on this list, Italian superstar Laura Pausini also has a music video shot in Venice amidst her extensive catalog.
Pausini’s video for her 2004 single Vivimi (and its Spanish version called Víveme) shows her singing the longing power ballad inside the Ca’ Zenobio degli Armeni. This stunning Baroque-style palace also appears in Madonna’s Like A Virgin video. We see Laura alone during the first verse and chorus, but an orchestra joins her inside the palazzo for the second part. The palace is in Dorsoduro, one of the city’s six sestieri districts and one of the best areas to stay in Venice.
Vivimi was the first single from Resta in Ascolto, Laura Pausini’s seventh record, which is called Escucha in Spanish. The video’s director was Gaetano Morbioli.
Bonus: The Pink Floyd concert in Venice
Although not a music video, the recorded and broadcast Pink Floyd Live in Venice concert in 1989 deserves an honorary mention. However, it may be iconic for the wrong reasons.
The revered band faced much backlash before the concert, part of the A Momentary Lapse of Reason tour. Before the free show, locals protested against the noise, and the City’s Superintendent of Monuments claimed that the vibration could damage buildings. Ultimately, the band played at a lower volume on a barge in front of St. Mark Square but couldn’t avoid causing damage. Some of the 200000 people who attended the concert climbed on the lampposts, and the noise allegedly cracked some of Venice’s marble.
There may never be another concert like this one in Venice, but you can see a bit of Pink Floyd’s David Gilmour reminiscing about the concert below. His comments are part of the band’s documentary The Later Years (2019).