Since Cinecittà Studios was founded in 1937, the sprawling facilities have driven the golden age of Cinema Italiano. The famed city of cinema has also, albeit intermittently, been a magnet for international productions and endured wild fluctuations in the country’s political climate, before recently reemerging as a new frontier for the country’s film and TV industry.

Located in the heart of the Mediterranean basin, a short ride from the center of Rome and its airports, Italy’s top production hub has to date, hosted more than 3,000 films that have earned 53 Oscars. During the period following World War II, the studios forged close ties to Hollywood, which helped the Italian industry gain its international standing.