The Italian movie La Chimera stormed onto the silver screen in 2024, starring Josh O’Connor, Carol Duarte, and Isabella Rossini. It wowed critics across the world and scored a remarkable 94% on Rotten Tomatoes.
It’s a quirky tale set in Tuscany, Italy in the 1980s, against a backdrop of undulating hills, cypress trees, and medieval hilltop towns. No doubt, after watching this movie, you’ll want to visit the pretty villages and tumbledown villas that make the setting so charming.
Read on for a sneak peek into the La Chimera filming locations.
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What is La Chimera about?
La Chimera charts the tale of British archeologist Arthur who reunites with a group of grave-robbers that make their money by looting Etruscan (pre-Roman) tombs of valuable artifacts. Arthur has unusual skills that help him find the buried tombs: he uses a divination rod and is often guided by psychic visions.
Why is the movie called La Chimera?
La Chimera in Italian means “the impossible dream”, which sums up Arthur’s quest in the movie: chasing an illusion or unattainable goal. It’s also the name of a fearsome female monster in Greek mythology, which features as part of a statue later in the movie.
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Where was La Chimera filmed in Italy and Switzerland?
La Chimera is set in the town of Riparbella in Tuscany, Italy. However, many scenes were filmed all over Tuscany and beyond.
Southern Tuscany
Arthur is pictured riding on a train through the Tuscan countryside at the start of the movie; this was filmed on the Asciano–Monte Antico railway route. Next we spot Monte Amiata Scalo, which is the train station where Arthur is reunited with his grave-robbing friends. Many of the town scenes where Arthur lives were shot in the hilltop medieval town of Montalcino, whilst the rural town of Torrenieri was used for the grave-robbing sites. Riparbella itself does feature in the filming; the abandoned train station at the end of the movie was shot in situ.
Northern Lazio
Many of the scenes featuring grave-robbing sites, filled with Etruscan treasures, were filmed in Tarquinia, Blera, and San Lorenzo Nuovo. The industrial port city of Civitavecchia also appears numerous times in filming; it’s the coastal city with a large working coal mine. La Fresca is the beach where the grave-robbers spend a couple of nights drinking and partying.
Umbria
The crumbling villa that Flora (the mother of Arthur’s girlfriend Beniamina) lives in actually exists. However, it’s not in Riparbella in Tuscany; it’s called La Pisana and it can be found in the Castel Giorgio commune near Orvieto in Umbria.
Switzerland
You’ll probably remember the scene where Arthur and the grave-robbers ambush Spartaco on a steam boat. This was filmed on Lake Lucerne in Switzerland, surrounded by the beautiful Alpine foothills.
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Who is in the cast of La Chimera?
Josh O’Connor plays the protagonist, Arthur, who you might know from Netflix drama The Crown and The Durrells, while Isabella Rossini (daughter of Ingrid Bergman and Roberto Rosselini) is Flora, whom he lives with in Italy. Brazilian actress Carol Duarte stars as the housekeeper and Arthur’s love interest, Italia.
Where can I watch La Chimera?
La Chimera is currently available to rent on Amazon Prime, as well as Vudu, Curzon, Google Play Movies, Apple TV and YouTube. It’s also due to be released on Hulu soon, too.
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Was La Chimera shot on film?
Yes. Director Alice Rohrwacher collaborated with cinematographer Hélène Louvart, who used a combination of 35mm, 16mm and Super 16 film to create La Chimera. This gives the movie a really authentic feel; it looks like it was genuinely shot in the 1980s.
Watch the La Chimera trailer
Note: Spoiler alert! If you haven’t seen the movie, don’t read any further…
Can you explain the ending of La Chimera?
Arthur teams up with a different, rival group of tomb raiders at the end of the movie. They discover the location of a potential tomb site inside a large industrial building site. The robbers encourage Arthur to enter the tomb first. As he moves through the first tunnel, the shaft closes behind him, leaving him trapped inside.
Does Arthur die at the end of La Chimera?
It’s left for the audience to decide. However, it’s likely that Arthur does die at the end of La Chimera. He follows a red string, which brings him above ground and into the light, where he is reunited with his deceased girlfriend, Beniamina, in the after-life.
Ready to explore La Chimera’s Italy? Download the Trainline app for the best ticket deals and up-to-date train times.
And if you need more travel inspiration, watch these TV series and movies set in Italy before you go:
- Movies that will inspire you to visit Italy
- From Scratch
- Roman Holiday
- Letters to Juliet
- Ferrari
- House of Gucci
- Eat, Pray, Love
- Call Me by Your Name
- Book Club: The Next Chapter
- Equalizer 3
- Ripley
- Stanley Tucci: Searching for Italy
- Under the Tuscan Sun
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