Following the trail of Italy with My Spy: The Eternal City

CIA agent JJ and his protege Sophie return for a second time on our screen in Amazon Prime Video's latest buddy comedy, My Spy: The Eternal City, to accompany us through a rollercoaster of emotions featuring plenty of gelato, banter and brawl amidst summer nights in Italy and making a lifetime of memories. 

Rome may not have been ready for JJ and Sophie in their black and red Vespas, but best believe the entirety of Italy is awaiting your presence for an Italian getaway this fall/winter season. 

Join Wego as we take a look at the Italian shooting locations of My Spy: The Eternal City.  

St Mark's Basilica, Venice 

We start our journey in Venice, more specifically, at Venice's Cathedral, St Mark's Basilica or Basilica di San Marco, at the end of Saint Mark's Square. 

Also referred to as the Golden Church or Chiesa d'Oro for its inaurate appearance that effortlessly blends Gothic, Byzantine, Romanesque, and Renaissance styles in its soaring domes and golden mosaics. 

What began as a daring heist in 828 AD is now a testament to Venice's rich history.  St Mark's Basilica. It houses Saint Mark's relics and some of the finest artworks in ancient and modern history. 

Walk through the gates of the Golden Church and feel yourself mesmerized as you take in the art carved on each of the 5 large portals. Take a moment to marvel at the Pala d'Oro, which is one of the finest examples of how rich the Byzantine Empire used to be.

A grand total of 1927 precious gems like pearls, emeralds, sapphires, garnets, amethysts, rubies, and topazes are studded on an altarpiece to depict scenes from the Gospel and important Byzantine personalities like Empress Irene and Doge Ordelafo Faliero.  

Everywhere you look, a piece of heavenly masterpiece awaits you. The treasury, which showcases 823 art pieces in gold and silver along with many other precious curios, is considered to be the most important part of the place. Even the marble inlays on the floor of the basilica will leave you spellbound. 

You must check out the San Marco Museum before leaving Italy. Its highlights include the Horses of San Marco, priceless Persian carpets, broken mosaics, royal fabrics from bygone eras, and Doge's red velvet thrones. The Museum is open from Monday to Saturday from 9.30 AM to 5.15 PM and on Sundays from 2 PM to 5.15 PM. 

Saint Mark's Basilica is open from 9.30 am to 5.15 pm from Monday to Saturday. The entrance fee is €7 (S$10.15) for adults and free of charge for children up to six years.

Tickets can be purchased online or from the San Basso Ticket Office at Piazzetta dei Leoncini. 

Doge's Palace, Venice

Although we do not get a glimpse of the Doge's Palace on our screen, we do hear JJ saying, "this is Venice's most iconic landmark."

And he was right, for the Doge's Palace we get to witness in the 21st century is an accumulation of three different centuries of architecture and art style. A masterpiece in Venetian Gothic architecture has its foundation marked by significant Renaissance architecture and opulent Mannerist adjunctions. 

Doge's Palace, or Palazzo Ducale, was constructed in 1340 and has been the home of various Doges. It has seen the rise and fall of many empires and went through wars, fires, and several reconstructions before becoming a public museum in 1923. 

Various exhibitions showcasing the history of Western art take place at Doge's Palace throughout the year. At the moment, Marco Polo's journey is being shown. 

The museum is open every day from 10 AM to 7 PM, and tickets can be purchased from the official website. 

Basilica of Santa Maria Novella, Florence

The Basilica of Santa Maria Novella is situated opposite the main railway station of Florence and will likely be the first Florentine architecture to welcome you to the city if you take a train there. 

The church, its adjoining cloisters and its chapter house display immaculate examples of Gothic-Renaissance architecture. The artwork from the Middle Ages and Renaissance period inside the church attracted some of the greatest artists like Michelangelo, Botticelli and more. 

The marble facade of the basilica is a prime example of Florentine Renaissance artwork within the premises, completed only a century ago. 

The Basilica of Santa Maria Novella is open to the public Monday through Thursday, Saturday (and the day before religious holidays) from 10 AM to 5.30 PM, Fridays from 11 AM to 5.30 PM and Sundays (and religious holidays) from 1 PM to 5.30 PM.

Tickets can be purchased from the official Museo di Santa Maria Novella website.

Cathedral of Santa Maria del Fiore, Piazza del Duomo, Florence

Duomo or Cathedral of Santa Maria del Fiore, plays a background character in the movie that foretells the main plot of the movie. Santa Maria del Fiore is the third-largest church in the world. It was founded by the Florentine Republic in 1296 and has been open to the general public since 1436. 

Santa Maria del Fiore, or Our Lady of the Flower, is an allusion to the city's name, Florentia, or "city of flowers," "destined to bloom," and to its emblem, the Florentine Lily. 

This is the moment where we see the fragile relationship between an adolescent and a father mend again, just as young love starts to bloom between Sophie and her friend Colin over gelato. 

Piazza di Spagna, Rome

Every corner of Italy, especially Rome, is filled with inspiration for the fanciful. Piazza di Spagna and its "Scalina Spagna," or the stairs, presents a walkable ground to soak in all the Baroque architecture, magical fountains and lively atmosphere. 

Piazza di Spagna has been the house of the Spanish embassy for the Vatican since the seventeenth century. It is located near the high streets of Via dei Condotti, Via Frattina and Via del Babuino, where there are many places to shop, restaurants, cafes and osterias.  

The "Scalina Spagna," or the stairs, lead to the Church of Trinità dei Monti, which presents the best view of Rome. Although on our screen, quite an emotional scene takes place between JJ and Sophie, the staircases are usually a favourite among tourists who want to sit around, relax and enjoy the day. 

Colosseum, Rome

The Colosseum, one of the seven wonders of the modern world, needs no introduction. On our screen, we see the beginning of a highly trained action sequence.

Maybe it was a coincidence, or maybe it was the film's way of paying homage to the highly charged, action-filled days of the Roman empire at the Colosseum. 

Tickets for guided tours to the Colosseum, Palatine Hill and the Roman Forum can be purchased from the official website of the Colosseum.

Vatican City 

Since its construction, Vatican City has undergone several modifications and now stands as one of the most wondrous places in the world. It is also the world's smallest independent nation-state. 

The Vatican has six entrances, of which only three are open to the public: the piazza, the Arch of the Bells in the facade of St. Peter's Basilica and the entrance to the Vatican Museums and Galleries.  

Every corner of the eternal city is enveloped with timeless beauty.

Whether it is to make new memories with some of the stars we have all read about in our history book or to roam around the lesser-known but equally majestic piazzas of Italy-we urge you to take a feather out of JJ and Sophie's book and go on your own adventure. 

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This article was first published in Wego.