Below, a brief guide to orchestrating your own sabbatical somewhere in Northern Italy. The romance, unfortunately, may not be guaranteed—but one should always hope.

Where to Go

Though the book on which the film is based takes place in the Mediterranean seaside region of Liguria, director Luca Guadagnino set his version in the inland region of Lombardy, an area he knows well. For years he has made his home near the small Lombardian town of Crema, less than an hour outside of Milan, and it is in the neighboring countryside where much of the film unfurls. “Crema has a sense of timelessness that I like, but I also think that it is quintessentially Italian without being an idea of Italy,” the director has explained. “It’s just Italy. A lot of these Hollywood movies made in Italy look as fake as a chocolate coin. It’s a danger I don’t want to risk. For me it’s important you make the thing that looks the most correct and the most real.”

Crema, Italy Photo: Alamy

Guadagnino’s Crema also makes a good base from which to explore the piazzas, duomos, and sweeping landscapes seen in the film: Cremona, a picturesque village 45 minutes southwest; Lake Garda, the sister lake to Como an hour and a half northwest (where the scene of the archaeological dig occurs); and the northern town of Bergamo, where Oliver and Elio spend the final days of their affair. The majestic Serio Waterfalls—the highest in the country and the second highest in all of Europe—where the couple hikes together near the end of the film, are located just outside of Bergamo.