The Tirrenia Studios (also known at one point as the Pisorno Studios) are a

film studio A film studio (also known as movie studio or simply studio) is a major entertainment company that makes films. Today, studios are mostly financing and distribution entities. In addition, they may have their own studio facility or facilities; how ...

complex located in the Italian coastal town of

Tirrenia Tirrenia is a frazione (parish) of Pisa, Tuscany, Italy with a population of 3,112 inhabitants. Immersed in the pine forest of the "Litorale Pisano" and in the coast of Ligurian Sea (even if the name of the village refers to Tyrrhenian Sea, in Ita ...

Tuscany Tuscany ( ; ) is a Regions of Italy, region in central Italy with an area of about and a population of 3,660,834 inhabitants as of 2025. The capital city is Florence. Tuscany is known for its landscapes, history, artistic legacy, and its in ...

. The studios were constructed between 1933-1934 and intended, along with the Fert Studios in

Turin Turin ( , ; ; , then ) is a city and an important business and cultural centre in northern Italy. It is the capital city of Piedmont and of the Metropolitan City of Turin, and was the first Italian capital from 1861 to 1865. The city is main ...

, to provide northern competition to the increasingly dominant

Cines Studios The Cines Studios were film production studios located in the Italian capital Rome. They were established on Via Veio in 1930 by Stefano Pittaluga, head of the Cines film company, at the beginning of the sound era. It produced Italy's first sound ...

Rome Rome (Italian language, Italian and , ) is the capital city and most populated (municipality) of Italy. It is also the administrative centre of the Lazio Regions of Italy, region and of the Metropolitan City of Rome. A special named with 2, ...

.Forgacs & Gundle p.129 Tirrenia was a

new town New or NEW may refer to: Music * New, singer of K-pop group The Boyz (South Korean band), The Boyz * New (album), ''New'' (album), by Paul McCartney, 2013 ** New (Paul McCartney song), "New" (Paul McCartney song), 2013 * New (EP), ''New'' (EP), ...

which had grown with the support of Italy's

Fascist regime Fascism ( ) is a far-right, authoritarian, and ultranationalist political ideology and movement. It is characterized by a dictatorial leader, centralized autocracy, militarism, forcible suppression of opposition, belief in a natural social hie ...

. Although Italian film production was booming following an early 1930s slump, Tirrenia quickly faced increasing competition from the large Cinecitta studios in

which had been opened in 1937 as part of the Fascist's attempt to centralise film production in the capital. Nonetheless, the studios continued to be used, sometimes facilitating

location shooting Location shooting is the shooting of a film or television production in a real-world setting rather than a sound stage or backlot. The location may be interior or exterior. When filmmaking professionals refer to shooting "on location", they are ...

nearby. During the later stages of the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

the studios were requisitioned for other use first by the Germans and later by the Allies. In the post-war years the studios returned to film production, although this has been sporadic. In the 1960s the producer

Carlo Ponti Carlo Fortunato Pietro Ponti Sr. (11 December 1912 – 10 January 2007) was an Italian film producer with more than 140 productions to his credit. Along with Dino De Laurentiis, he is credited with reinvigorating and popularizing Italian cin ...

took over the studios.

Selected filmography

Films made partly or wholly at the studios: * ''

The Divine Spark ''The Divine Spark'' is a 1935 British musical film directed by Carmine Gallone and starring Marta Eggerth, Phillips Holmes, Benita Hume and Donald Calthrop. An Italian-language version ''Casta Diva (1935 film), Casta Diva'' was shot simultaneou ...

'' (1935) * '' The Two Sergeants'' (1936) * ''

All of Life in One Night ''All of Life in One Night'' () is a 1938 Italian drama film directed by Corrado D'Errico and starring Luisa Ferida, Camillo Pilotto and Mino Doro.Lancia p.436 It was made at the Pisorno Studios in Tirrenia. The film's sets were designed by Salv ...

'' (1938) * ''

The Woman of Monte Carlo ''The Woman of Monte Carlo'' () is a 1938 Italian " white-telephones" drama film directed by André Berthomieu and Mario Soldati and starring Dita Parlo, Fosco Giachetti and Jules Berry.Amelio p.25 A separate French version '' Unknown of Monte Ca ...

'' (1938) * ''

The Daughter of the Green Pirate ''The Daughter of the Green Pirate'' () is a 1940 Italian adventure film directed by Enrico Guazzoni and starring Doris Duranti, Fosco Giachetti and Camillo Pilotto. It was shot partly at the Pisorno Studios in Tirrenia with sets designed by the a ...

'' (1940) * ''

Honeymoon A honeymoon is a vacation taken by newlyweds after their wedding to celebrate their marriage. Today, honeymoons are often celebrated in destinations considered exotic or romantic. In a similar context, it may also refer to the phase in a couple ...

'' (1941) * ''

The King of England Will Not Pay ''The'' is a grammatical article in English, denoting nouns that are already or about to be mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in English. ''The ...

'' (1941) * ''

Idyll in Budapest ''Idyll in Budapest'' () is a 1941 Italian comedy film directed by Giorgio Ansoldi and Gabriele Varriale and starring Germaine Aussey, Osvaldo Valenti and Sergio Tofano.Chiti & Poppi p.177 It was shot at the Pisorno Studios in Tirrenia. The fi ...

'' (1941) * ''

Short Circuit A short circuit (sometimes abbreviated to short or s/c) is an electrical circuit that allows a current to travel along an unintended path with no or very low electrical impedance. This results in an excessive current flowing through the circuit ...

'' (1943) * ''

Tragic Return ''Tragic Return'' () is a 1952 Italian melodrama film directed by Pier Luigi Faraldo and starring Doris Duranti, Marcello Mastroianni and Franca Marzi. It was shot at the Pisorno Studios in Tirrenia. The film's sets were designed by the art di ...

'' (1952)

References

Bibliography

* Forgacs, David & Gundle, Stephen. ''Mass Culture and Italian Society from Fascism to the Cold War''. Indiana University Press, 2007. Italian film studios Buildings and structures in Tuscany Tirrenia {{IT-film-company-stub