Stuffed ‘Italy’, Floating ‘Italia’

This paper examines the evolution of the representation of Italy in Hollywood cinema in relation to its historical and social context. Romanticized and exoticized images of Italy from the Grand Tour era combined with prejudices against Italian immigrants to create negative Italian characters in the early years of Hollywood cinema. World War II reinforced this negative image, but the emergence of Italian-American directors and social change after the ‘68 movement brought diversity and complexity to the representation of Italians. However, contemporary Hollywood films still consume Italy as a “city of love and romance,” which tends to obscure its diversity and complexity. This study analyzes this image shift and discusses the influence of the medium of cinema on the formation of images of specific nations and peoples. Ultimately, it aims to provide a deeper understanding of the representation of Italy in Hollywood films, prompting reflection on the relationship between cinema and reality, representation and identity.