Spotlight on Famous Film Locations from <i>Inferno</i>: The Italian Edition

By MOOK Scenic Spots Editorial Team

The recently released box office hit Inferno has already grossed over $147 million worldwide. Professor Langdon, played by Tom Hanks, is about to embark on another thrilling adventure. The film was shot in Florence and Venice in Italy, as well as Istanbul in Turkey. Much of the storyline is based on solving puzzles derived from Dante’s epic poem The Divine Comedy. This article will first introduce some of the famous landmarks in Florence and Venice that Professor Langdon visits.

1. Boboli Gardens

The Boboli Gardens in Florence are a world-renowned ancient Roman-style garden, located behind the Pitti Palace. They were purchased in the early 14th century by the Medici family, the most prominent nobles of Florence at the time. During festivals, the Medici would host grand musical parties in the gardens, featuring performances by royal musicians and gourmet dishes prepared by imperial chefs. Being invited to these events was considered a mark of high status. By the late 18th century, the Pitti Palace served as Napoleon I’s center of power, and later, the newly unified Italian royal family also briefly resided there.

2. Vasari Corridor

The Vasari Corridor is a covered elevated passageway in Florence, stretching nearly one kilometer and connecting the Palazzo Vecchio to the Pitti Palace, starting from the south side of the Uffizi Gallery. In addition to admiring the museum’s famous collection of self-portraits, visitors can also enjoy views of the sunset and the river through the corridor windows. Most of the corridor is not open to the general public and requires a special reservation.

3. Florence Cathedral (Santa Maria del Fiore)

Commonly known as the “Cathedral,” the Florence Cathedral is the city’s main church and one of its largest, designed in the Gothic style. It is most famous for its dome, which is the largest brick dome ever built and took 140 years to complete. A century later, Michelangelo designed a similar large dome for St. Peter’s Basilica in Rome but remarked, “I could build a dome larger than this, but not more beautiful.”