ITV1 drama Hotel Portofino is set in the gorgeous Italian Riviera, but the actual filming locations used for the series may surprise you. Starring Natascha McElhone the series has been hailed as the new Downton Abbey.
Hotel Portofino is a historical drama about a British family who establish a hotel for upper-class travellers on the magical Italian Riviera during the ‘roaring 20s’. The Hotel has only been open a few weeks, but already the problems are mounting for its co-proprietor and moving spirit, Bella Ainsworth, who is played by Natascha.
The location of the Italian Riviera is a key part of the storyline, however the series was not actually filmed in the real-life Italian Riviera. Instead, locations in Croatia were used. You can keep up to date with the latest TV and showbiz news by signing up to the newsletter here.
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Key locations include Rijeka, Lovran, and Rovinj. The interior shots of the hotel were filmed in a villa built in 1904 on the Lungomare promenade, which is found in the Opatija area.
Other locations include the town of Zagreb, the National Stateroom, the Croatian Institute of History, and the Museum of Arts and Crafts. Speaking about the location, series producer Sarah Forbes Campbell told goodto.com: "The experience of working with a Croatian crew has been an incredibly positive one, it's been absolutely fabulous and joyous...The Croatian crew is incredibly accommodating and collaborative, and the entire process of filming in Croatia has been a very creative one."
While speaking on the ITV1 morning show, This Morning, Natascha explained to hosts Phillip Schofield and Holly Willoughby that as the series had already aired in America, lots of people had booked holidays to the real-life Italian Riviera, after being influenced by Hotel Portofino, and were unaware it was filmed in Croatia.
Hotel Portofino begins on Friday, February 3, at 9pm on ITV1.
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