Today I was asked to name my favorite travel movie. Well that is really hard to do as they are so many amazing movies out there. Even if I were to break it down to just movies related to travel it would be hard. I started thinking about some of the travel greats: Lost in Translation, The Beach, Thelma and Louise, The Way, Seven Years in Tibet, Lawrence of Arabia, Wild, and the Bucket List. There are so many good ones. However one of my favorites has to be Under the Tuscan Sun which was filmed in beautiful Tuscany, Italy. Yes, I know it’s a chick movie (which is why I probably like it), but it is intriguing and inspiring.
I don’t want to share the who movie and ruin or spoil it for anyone who hasn’t seen it, so I will just give a few basics. It is about a San Franciscan woman named Francis who is a writer struggling with her latest book. Then her world falls apart as she finds out her husband is cheating on her. Wet, he leaves her for the woman he is having the affair with. In this dark time in her life her best friend Patti gives her a gift of a bus tour of Tuscany. She doesn’t want to go, but eventually decides it is what she needs to escape dealing with the emotions of the divorce. Sadly I’ve been there and understand how she was feeling at that time. I don’t know if I ever would have been strong enough to move to another country permanently by myself to heal, but I definitely get it. She needed something completely different and WAY out of our comfort zone.
While on the bus tour she comes across this aged villa in the beautiful Tuscan countryside. It is an aged villa and in need of a lot of work, but it’s hers. Even though she is scared at times, she is determined to make it livable and bring it back to the glory and beauty it once held. After getting in way over her head, she hires a bunch of locals and immigrants to do various jobs to repair the villa to its original Tuscan beauty.
What she doesn’t realize is that not only is she rebuilding the villa, she is also rebuilding her life. She makes lifetime friends with these workers and their families. Later she welcomes Patti to stay with her as well. At one point in the movie she tells a friend that she wants to fill the villa with friends, family and love. At the end of the movie, Under the Tuscan Sun, she had all of it.
I know it’s a sappy movie, but it helps me remember, that good can come out of bad things. Your life may not be the way you thought it would be or how you thought it would turn out, but it can be even better. I am living proof of that. If I hadn’t gone through what I had gone through, I wouldn’t be with my wonderful husband for almost 24 years now. Things happen for a reason. They can throw you for a loop and knock you down, but you just have to get up and keep on going. I think that is why I liked the movie Under the Tuscan Sun so much. It reminds you to never give up and never stop looking ahead. I heard this expression once, which I wanted to share here. There is a reason the front windshield is bigger than the rearview mirror. Where you’re going is so much better than where you’ve been. Anyway, have you seen this movie? If so, what did you think? I would love to hear your thoughts as well as some of your favorite travel-related movies. Happy travels.
Under the Tuscan Sun Movie Info
Click on the link to be directed to the IMDb page about this great movie.
LIKE WHAT YOU ARE READING?
I would love to send you my free travel itinerary cheat sheets and emails when I post new articles! I usually post 2 times a week. Sign up now, receive your free travel sheets, and don’t miss an article. Thanks, Samantha
This post was created using WordPress. Create your own site for FREE!
I LOVE THIS MOVIE! Your recap makes me want to go watch it again. I love the part when she gets water out of the faucet and considers it a huge victory -which it is! I love when she finds love briefly, but in the end finds the life she wants for herself. Shoot – now I have to go watch it. Thanks for sharing!
Hi Elisa, I laughed reading your comment 🙂 It’s been a while since I watched this and you brought back a funny scene that I had forgotten about, lol. Thanks for sharing. Happy viewing 🙂
While this isn’t my favourite movie, either, it’s certainly one of them. I think it’s because I resonate with Frances in a few ways, I enjoyed holidays to Italy, so I’m familiar with the people and culture, I’m a writer and I gave up my editorial job, sold my house and move from the UK to California because I wanted a change. Outside, of those similarities, I loved how she evolved and overcame emotional adversity. The supporting characters also added depth to the story.
I do like that windshield analogy. Thanks for sharing.
I love this movie as well.. and have watched it a few times..
love your take on it here
I think I have seen it but since I am by myself today, I am going to look for it and watch it as a nice way to relax and get out of my head for a bit. As for Travel movie I like Thelma and Lousie and also
The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants which I know my daughter would have loved if she was here to watch it with me.