La dolce vita, or "the sweet life" – popularised by Federico Fellini's eponymous 1960 film – is the single phrase that sold Italy as a rainbow-coloured land where dreams are made. It's an ephemeral term that immediately evokes an unmistakable aesthetic: neon-orange Aperol Spritzes, Vespa scooters, cappuccinos in the piazza, Mediterranean expanses of sea and sky – images that have long fuelled the imagination of filmmakers, authors and, most recently, social media influencers.
This year has given us yet another serving of "la dolce vita" with a sprinkle of something sour: Ripley, the newest rendition of Patricia Highsmith's 1955 crime novel, The Talented Mr. Ripley has just hit Netflix.
