Sophia Loren and Marcello Mastroianni are an iconic duo in film history. Between 1950 and 1994, they appeared together in 14 films, although not always at the same time. I already wrote about their last film together,
Prêt-à-Porter, in the blogpost
Paris, France. Thirty years earlier, they played the leading roles in
MARRIAGE ITALIAN STYLE (original title
Matrimonio all’Italiana), about the unusual relationship between a wealthy pastry chef and a former prostitute.
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| Marriage Italian Style, 0:20:35 |
The film, directed by Vittorio de Sica, is set in Naples in various periods. It was filmed on location, with the exception of the interior shots, which were made at the Titanus Appia Studios in Rome.
Naples is located on the Tyrrhenian Sea, on the west coast of southern Italy and at the foot of the Vesuvius volcano. In the more than 60 years that have passed since filming, the city has obviously changed, but several places can still be recognized.
During the opening credits, a few images of Naples are shown, such as the Piazza del Plebiscito. This is the largest square in the city. It is no longer a public car park since its renovation in 1994. The Basilica Reale San Francesco di Paola was built between 1816 and 1846, modelled on the Pantheon in Rome and St. Peter's Basilica in Vatican City.
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| Marriage Italian Style, 0:00:27 |
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| Piazza del Plebiscito, Naples, 27 June 2025 |
Opposite the church is the Palazzo Reale (Royal Palace), a small part of which can be seen on the right. Behind the palace are the theater San Carlo and, on the far left, the Galleria Umberto I shopping gallery.
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| Marriage Italian Style, 0:00:46 |
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| Piazza del Plebiscito, Naples, 27 June 2025 |
Alfredo (Aldo Puglisi), the butler of Domenico Soriano (Marcello Mastroianni), arrives by taxi at his employer's pastry shop, who is about to marry a much younger woman. The taxi stops on Via Vittorio Emanuele III, where a bank is now located. The bronze horses in the background mark the entrance to the Giardini di Palazzo Reale (Gardens of the Royal Palace).
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| Marriage Italian Style, 0:03:16 |
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| Via Vittorio Emanuele III, Naples, 27 June 2025 |
Filumena Marturano (Sophia Loren) leaves the office of Domenico's lawyer disappointed after their marriage is annulled. She takes off her hat and crosses Via Santa Maria di Costantinopoli, heading towards Piazza Bellini. In the second photo, Diego Maradona can be seen on a roller shutter to the right of the entrance. In Naples, you can see portraits everywhere of the soccer player who helped SSC Napoli win its first national title in 1987.
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| Marriage Italian Style, 1:05:28 |
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| Piazza Bellini, Naples, 25 June 2025 |
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| Marriage Italian Style, 1:05:41 |
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| Via Santa Maria di Costantinopoli, Naples, 25 June 2025 |
In Piazza Bellini, Filumena asks Alfredo to pick up her three sons. The square looks better in the film than it did during our visit. There were rubbish bins everywhere and the trees and bushes did not appear to be well maintained.
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| Marriage Italian Style, 1:06:03 |
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| Piazza Bellini, Naples, 25 June 2025 |
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| Marriage Italian Style, 1:06:14 |
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| Piazza Bellini, Naples, 25 June 2025 |
This publicity photo shows more of Piazza Bellini, although the statue of composer Vincenzo Bellini, after whom the square is named, is just out of frame. The pedestal of the statue originally featured four small statues of main characters from his operas: Norma, Giulietta, Amina and Elvira. Unfortunately, these statues have disappeared.
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| Publicity photo Marriage Italian Style |
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| Piazza Bellini, Naples, 25 June 2025 |
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Statue of Vincenzo Bellini,
Piazza Bellini, Naples, 25 June 2025 |
After Filumena has told Domenico that he is the father of one of her three children, he changes his mind and wants to marry her. On the day of the wedding, she hurries to the church with their housekeeper Rosalia (Tecla Scarano). They cross the Piazza del Gesù Nuovo.
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| Marriage Italian Style, 1:32:29 |
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| Piazza del Gesù Nuovo, Naples, 25 June 2025 |
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| Marriage Italian Style, 1:32:35 |
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| Piazza del Gesù Nuovo, Naples, 25 June 2025 |
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| Marriage Italian Style, 1:32:43 |
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| Piazza del Gesù Nuovo, Naples, 25 June 2025 |
The church has the same name as the square, Gesù Nuovo (‘New Jesus’); there is also a church in Naples called Gesù Vecchio (‘Old Jesus’). This church was originally a palace, built in 1480. This can still be seen in the façade, which remained unchanged when the building was converted into a church in 1584.
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| Marriage Italian Style, 1:33:26 |
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| Gesù Nuovo, Naples, 25 June 2025 |
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| Marriage Italian Style, 1:33:31 |
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| Gesù Nuovo, Naples, 25 June 2025 |
After the ceremony, the newlyweds and the three sons, Umberto (Gianni Ridolfi), Michele (Generoso Cortini) and Riccardo (Vito Moriconi), walk back to Domenico's apartment, where they will be living.
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| Marriage Italian Style, 1:34:02 |
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| Piazza del Gesù Nuovo, Naples, 25 June 2025 |
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| Marriage Italian Style, 1:35:35 |
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| Piazza del Gesù Nuovo, Naples, 25 June 2025 |
In the middle of the square stands the Obelisco dell'Immacolata (Obelisk of the Immaculate Conception) from 1747. In the film only part of the 22-metre-high (72 feet) marble structure, decorated with saints and scenes from the life of Mary, can be seen. The statue of the Immaculate Conception on top is made of copper. Sophia Loren and Marcello Mastroianni were photographed in front of the obelisk by Pierluigi Praturlon on 1 February 1964 as the newlyweds Filumena and Domenico. As can be seen in the photos above, the monument was behind fences during our visit because pieces of marble had fallen off since February 2025.
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| Sophia Loren and Marcello Mastroianni, 1 February 1964 |
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| Obelisco dell'Immacolata, Naples, 25 June 2025 |
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Obelisco dell'Immacolata,
Naples, 25 June 2025 |
The website
Il Davinotti provides an overview of film locations in Naples, both existing and disappeared.
Phooto Sophia Loren © Archivio Fotografico Cineteca Nazionale
Photo Sophia Loren and Marcello Mastroianni © Pierluigi Praturlon/Reporters Associati & Archivi/Mondadori Portfolio
Screenshots © C. C. Champion S.p.A./Les Films Concordia
