The iconic locations of the film Amici miei in Florence

Visiting the city through scenes from Mario Monicelli's film: all the must-see locations

On Saturday 24 September at 15:30 at Villa Bardini, the event Semplicemente Ugo. Florence, cuisine, films, zingarate, from Casa Artusi to Casa Tognazzi. The Italian network of Houses of Memory. A party, on the occasion of the centenary of Ugo Tognazzi's birth, that remembers the great Italian performer and gives anyone who wishes the opportunity (booking required) to relive the genius of Ugo Tognazzi through films, cuisine and zingarate.

At 9.15 pm, two films will be screened in the presence of Ricky and Gianmarco Tognazzi. The first is the documentary on Ugo Tognazzi La voglia matta di vivere, followed by Francesco Conforti's docufilm L'ultima Zingarata, a homage to Amici miei 1 and 2.

To remember this famous film, we retrace together the most iconic places in the film shot in the city of Florence.

“AMICI MIEI” LOCATIONS

• La Nazione

It is the seat where Perozzi works as chief reporter. The headquarter is actually a private building located in Via Magliabechi. It is here where Perozzi, clouded by the idea of running away with his best friends, starts a journey without destination that will bring him to meet his friends and begin a trip down memory lane of their zingarate.

Ugo Tognazzi, Mario Monicelli, Philippe Noiret at ‘La Nazione’ in Florence 1982

• Mascetti’s basement

It is here where the count Mascetti and his family live. You can find it along Viale delle Magnolie and before the basement there were the old canteens of “Case Ina” situated in Viale dei Pini. Even though the place was modified over the years, it is still recognizable also thank to the famous small window where Tognazzi appears to talk with his friends. This basement was chosen because it was the only one capable to host both the troupe and actors.

• Necchi’s Bar

Here is where Perozzi’s journey to assemble his friends and run away ends. The bar was lately called Negroni’s Bar. Today is closed and it is in Via dei Renai, 17. Next to it you can find the shop “Supercazzola Store”, dedicated to the film and to the sale of inspired gadgets.

• Sassaroli’s clinic

After having taken the detour for Via Mugnana, the first zingarata comes back to mind. We are at Sassaroli’s clinic where he works as surgeon and where the four friends had been recovered due to a car crash. The clinic is supposed to be in the city of Pescia but it is actually in Florence, in Via Righi, and it is the Salviatino Institute which nowadays has been transformed in a luxury hotel.

Giacomo al Salviatino

• Sassaroli’s house

It is the home of one of the main scenes of the film during which take place the “exchange of the wife and the whole” between Sassaroli and Melandri. As for the Sassaroli’s clinic we are not in Pescia but in Florence at Villa Macchiavelli in the homonymous street.

• Santa Maria Novella’s station

This is without any doubts the most famous film scene’s location: the slaps at the station. The five friends intentionally go to Santa Maria Novella to slap the departing passengers, who cannot oppose to them. Another zingarata that lately, during an interview with the actor who interpreted Melandri, turns out to have been a completely true scene as the slaps were real (a real zingarata!).

Santa Maria Novella Central Station

• The factory

During a moment of boredom, to kill some time, the five decide to look at some women from the high of a factory establishment. Today the factory is the Carlo Brandigi’s paper mill in Sant’Ellero in Pelago city.

• The hotel

Location where the count Mascetti caught Titti, his lover, with another woman after having followed her obsessed by jealousy. The Hotel we are talking about is the Porta Rossa Hotel in Via Porta Rossa, 19. We must say that the room chosen for the scene has nothing to do with it.

• The pharmacy

Mascetti planes to call Titti to meet her in secret in the middle of the night. He stops in a pharmacy, nowadays called Pitti Pharmacy, in San Felice square asking the pharmacist for some mullet pills. Not understanding his request, the woman let him phone to his doctor to give her explanations but the Count is not the doctor who will call…

• Titti’s house

Titti’s house is not very well visible in the film but we can see it for a while during the nighttime outing with Mascetti. As for Sassaroli’s house and clinic, it is not where is thought to be (Florence). It is in Rome in Via Dè Calboli.

• Titti’s school

This is the location where Mascetti decides to talk to his lover after having understand that their relationship is not going well. He goes in front of Titti’s school, which actually is the Archeological Museum in Via dell Colonna, to end their relationship.

the Medici Ricciardi Horse at the Archaeological Museum, Greek bronze from the 4th century BC

• The Villa party

Here is where take place another zingarata of the five friends. They decide to go in a Villa where it is hold one of the many luxury party at which they are obviously not invited. They manage, among lies and jokes (one of them was the one of the Necchi and the bathroom baby), to ruin it. The Villa we are talking about is the Castle of Marignolle (western Florence) which today is a holiday residence.

• The cinemas

Even if just passing, during the film are well recognizable two Florentine cinemas: the Astra 2 (the old Metropolitan which was in the film) and the Odeon, which is situated near the Porta Rossa Hotel.

Cinema Odeon Firenze (Wikipedia)

• The florist

Here takes place one of the funniest scenes of the film: the word of mouth florist. The zingarata of the drug trafficking operation, made up to fool one of the Necchi’s bar guests (Righi), supposes the exchange of important information right here, in the shop located in Via dei Servi, 51.

• San Miniato al Monte

In Act II of the film, on the anniversary of Perozzi's death, Mascetti goes to his grave, later joined by his other friends. The cemetery where Perozzi is buried with his wife Angelina is that of the Basilica of San Miniato. Even in this sacred place Mascetti does not spare himself one of the supercazzole.

San Miniato

• Il Mercatino

We are still in 'Amici Miei Act II' and this time we find ourselves in Piazza dei Ciompi, where the four friends meet Savino Capogreco, a loan shark from the market that takes place in the square, who lends large sums of money to Mascetti. Nowadays, the antiques market has been moved in Piazza Annigoni and Piazza dei Ciompi, since 2018, has been transformed in a new green area aimed at hosting temporary markets or fairs.

Piazza dei Ciompi

• The carnival prank retailer

Keep fooling the guest, the five friends decide to go to “Pettinelli”, the shop where they used to buy carnival pranks for their zingarate. Nowadays the shop is still a stationery shop located in Via il Prato.

• The pick-up and delivery bridges and the divving up of the loot

Here we are at the end of the Righi’s zingarata. The two bridges where the pick-up and delivery operations take place are that one in Montebuono (western Florence) and the one along Via Chiantigiana (which brings to Ferrone). The divving, instead, is in front of what nowadays is called Mandela Forum in Campo di Marte even though, initially, it was thought to have occurred at Sollicciano’s penitentiary.

• Race track square

The final end of Righi’s zingarata. The five friends, exhausted by the staging, meet here. The square is Acciaioli square in Galluzzo district.

• Perozzi’s funeral

The film ends with Perozzi’s death. Even at the moment of the extreme unction, Perozzi has the courage to invent one last supercazzola (like zingarata) to the priest. The funeral is celebrated in Santo Spirito’s church in the homonymous square.

Basilica Santo Spirito ph. Albino Todeschini