“Filming in Rome and Venice is utterly magical”: Lily Collins Teases Jaw-Dropping European Escapes in Emily in Paris Season 5 – Which Secret Italian Spots Will Steal the Show?
When we last saw Emily Cooper (Lily Collins), the plucky marketing executive was saying adieu to Paris and buongiorno to Rome. “She’s in a new city and a new country, figuring out her life, love, and work,” says Collins.
In the Season 4 finale of Emily in Paris, Emily tours her new Italian apartment before heading out on the town with her beau Marcello Muratori (Eugenio Franceschini). And, for the first time in the four seasons we’ve known her, Emily leaves her phone at home and steps into her new life living La Dolce Emily. Talk about a change of pace for @EmilyinParis. Or, shall we say, @EmilyinRome?
In Season 5, as she becomes the new head of Agence Grateau Rome, “Emily once again has more confidence, a stronger voice, and a more defined sense of identity,” says Collins. “She’s bolder, braver, stronger, and more adventurous.”
As Emily’s world has gotten bigger, creator Darren Star couldn’t feel more inspired. He even considers Season 5 one of his favorites of the series. “The story feels very fresh to me,” he says. “I really wanted to give the show a lot of scope this season and expand the footprint of where it can go and what it could be.”
This season, Emily in Paris also ventures to locations both back in its original city and elsewhere in Italy — Venice. “Filming in Rome and Venice is utterly magical, and I’m always pinching myself,” says Collins. “Both cities are so cinematically stunning, full of history and a palpable sense of magic — you can feel it, see it, and hear it, as you wander down little alleyways or by the water. There’s so much ancient history to soak in while filming.”
Wish us buon viaggio e buona fortuna as we travel alongside Emily to the most iconic locations in Season 5 below. Andiamo!
Emily’s Rome apartment
Emily kicks off Season 5 living La Dolce Emily in her new apartment at Piazza Costaguti, greeting the day with a fresh outlook and a fresh bob. “Coming back to Rome was special,” says Collins. “It felt familiar for me and for Emily, and we got to explore more of the city [this season].”
Zuma Restaurant
During a rooftop breakfast with her Roman lover, Giancarlo (Raoul Bova), Sylvie (Philippine Leroy-Beaulieu) decides to make a real base in Rome by expanding the agency’s client list. You can find Zuma Restaurant, and also book a table with a view of the Spanish Steps, at Palazzo Fendi, Via Della Fontanella Di Borghese.
Agence Grateau Rome
The Roman outpost of Agence Grateau is no longer borrowing office space from one of Sylvie’s designer friends, Giorgio Barbieri (Rupert Everett). They now have a permanent location for their client meetings off Via Dora and Piazza Mincio. “It was perfect to set up Emily’s office in Rome, grounding her in her professional life,” says Collins.
San Polo dei Cavalieri
Marcello takes Emily through the Italian countryside of San Polo dei Cavalieri with his mother, Antonia (Anna Galiena), sisters Livia and Francesca, and a couple of the Muratori family’s cute pups on a truffle hunt. Don’t confuse stinkhorns for truffles though!
Muratori Family Home
Antonia cooks up a delectable truffle risotto — and avoids any real business talk with Emily — in her kitchen. The inside of the Muratori family home is a villa of a noble Roman family in the countryside near the city, in the Rignano Flaminio area.
Sylvie reminisces with her dear friend Princess Jane (Minnie Driver) over drinks after running into her while out on an evening stroll.
Villa Parisi
Princess Jane hosts a welcome party for Sylvie and Agence Grateau Rome at her palazzo, found at Via Mondragone, 2, 00040. As Sylvie reminds Emily, it’s all about who you know (and where they can throw you a soirée).
Who wouldn’t select an aromatic setting to discuss business plans for a fragrance? Emily and Sylvie meet with Marcello, his mother, and Maison Lavaux perfumer Antoine Lambert (William Abadie) in the hotel’s secret garden restaurant to discuss next steps for his perfume collaboration with Muratori.
Fendi Headquarters
Princess Jane comes through and snags Agence Grateau a meeting with Fendi at their headquarters, located off Viale della Civiltà del Lavoro. Unfortunately, Emily learns that her grandmother’s beloved Fendi bag is actually a fake.
La Posta Vecchia
It’s that Mindy espresso! Agence Grateau teams up with (fictional coffee company) Bavazza to launch their Bavazzatini at the La Posta Vecchia Hotel, where Mindy (Ashley Park) performs Sabrina Carpenter’s hit “Espresso” for the partygoers.
Fendi Roma Palazzo Boutique
Marcello takes Emily to buy a real Fendi at their Roma Palazzo boutique at Largo Goldoni, 420, 00187. For him, it’s not about replacing her fake Fendi bag with an authentic one. He wants his amore to know that she has the real thing with him. “Because from the moment I met you, I knew I did,” he says of their meet cute atop a mountain in the French Alps last season. Che romantico!
Luc’s Convent
Ever the eccentric, Luc (Bruno Gouery) stays at a convent while in Rome. His unconventional yet price-conscious dwelling is an ancient private villa in the Aventino area of Rome.
Piazza Campitelli, Tivoli
Filming of the commercial (but we’re calling it a short film, ovviamente) for the Muratori Paradiso fragrance takes place on the steps of Piazza Campitelli in Tivoli, a town some 20 miles east of Rome.
Mercati di Traiano
Emily and Marcello stroll around Mercati di Traiano, which is widely considered to be Rome’s first shopping mall. The structure is adjacent to the famous Roman Forum. As they gaze upon the beautiful imperfections of the ruins, Emily takes Mindy’s advice to be emotionally vulnerable with her partner and shares with him the pressures she’s always felt to succeed. Talking, she realizes, is the gateway to emotional intimacy — and the gateway to her new marketing pitch for a lingerie campaign.
Orient Express La Minerva Hotel
Mindy stays at La Minerva when she books a gig on dance competition show Ballando! Ballando! Ballando! after her performance at the Bavazzatini party. It’s also where Alfie (Lucien Laviscount) is staying during his work trip — and where their “vacation fling” begins …
Aventine Keyhole
Marcello takes Emily to the one place in Rome where you can see three countries at once. As they stand on Italian soil, they can see St. Peter’s Basilica in Vatican City and the Santa Maria del Priorato garden, which belongs to Malta. He likens the experience to Emily, as she’s an American conquering France and Italy.
Solitano
Marcello’s fictional hometown — and the base for Muratori fashion house — neighbors the scenic village of Ostia Antica, an archaeological site that looks straight out of a storybook. Agence Grateau hosts its launch event for Muratori Paradiso here.
Sofitel Rome Villa Borghese
Both of Luc’s girlfriends realize they’re being two-timed, and they promptly leave him at Settimo restaurant on the rooftop of the Sofitel hotel, found at Via Lombardia, 47, 00187.
Gigi Rigolatto Roma
Sylvie convenes her team at the Orient Express La Minerva’s rooftop restaurant. It’s time to say addio to Rome — she’s closing the Rome office, and she needs her Emily in Paris. “Paris feels like home base for all of us,” says Star.
Théâtre de Paris
While Mindy’s appearance on Ballando! Ballando! Ballando! technically takes place in Rome, the series actually filmed her performance at Théâtre de Paris at 15 Rue Blanche, 75009.
L’Espirit de Gigi
Gabriel (Lucas Bravo) is hot off earning a Michelin star for his restaurant, L’Espirit de Gigi, which is actually an Italian restaurant called Terra Nera located at 18 Rue des Fossés Saint-Jacques, 75005. This season, he and his investor, Antoine (William Abadie), have differing views on the right direction for the restaurant, which leads Gabriel to explore new cooking opportunities abroad.
Boulangerie Moderne
Emily’s first stop back home is her local bakery in Place de l’Estrapade.
Emily’s Apartment
Emily (and Gabriel)’s apartment building at 1 Place de l’Estrapade is just as she left it in the Latin Quarter. The square in the 5th Arrondissement of Paris is on the edge of Val-de-Grâce and Sorbonne districts.
Sylvie’s Apartment
Sylvie comes home to her gorgeous apartment (bonjour, natural light!) — and her husband Laurent’s (Arnaud Binard) new lover wearing her robe, mon dieu! — at 19 Rue Vavin, 75006.
Agence Grateau
The Agence Grateau team returns to their home office at Place de Valois, ready to remind their clients why they are the premier luxury marketing firm in Paris.
Crazy Horse Paris
Mindy is back performing at the Parisian cabaret venue, found at 12 Avenue George V, 75008. While her old beau Nicolas “Nico” de Léon (Paul Forman) was a bit of a stick in the mud last season when he’d attend her revues, in Season 5 she has quite the effusive admirer in the audience: Alfie. She’s now added a cover of Britney Spears’s “Oops!…I Did It Again” to her repertoire.
Lafayette’s
Mindy and Alfie set a dinner date with Emily at Lafayette’s at 8 Rue d’Anjou, 75008. They want to tell Emily that they’re seeing each other — but Mindy chickens out.
Hotel Shangri-La
This hotel at 10 Avenue d’Iéna, 75116, stands in for the fictional Heatherton Hotel, owned by a client of Agence Grateau. Emily convinces Gabriel to cater an event there.
Pont Neuf
Mindy follows Emily on her run along the riverbank by Pont Neuf. She even throws an extra flaky croissant at her to get her attention! Mindy wants Emily to finally express how mad she is about Mindy and Alfie keeping their fling a secret. Mindy doesn’t want Emily to keep acting like everything is fine. It’s not! And they need to talk it out.
Brass and Bourbon American Pub
Emily wanders into an American bar (which is really The Financier, found at 15 Rue du Départ, 75014) for a reminder of home. There, she meets Jake (Bryan Greenberg), who promptly invites her to join his Friends pub trivia team.
Hôtel de Crillon
Mindy and Nico meet up at Hôtel de Crillon for a drink. He’s left his family’s company and is determined to prove that he’s changed — Mindy is what matters to him.
L’Oréal Headquarters
Sylvie meets with L’Oréal at their headquarters on 14 Rue Royale, 75008. Originally designed by Ange-Jacques Gabriel, the building’s facade and roof are listed as historic monuments. In 2017, Alain Moatti brought a futuristic ovoid shape to the architecture, which is on full display as Emily and Sylvie debate the veracity of their campaign pitch (with photos pulled directly from Emily’s Instagram).
Hôtel de Noirmoutier
Emily visits Jake at his job at the US Embassy for a Fourth of July party. Hôtel de Noirmoutier at 138 Rue de Grenelle, 75007, stands in for the government building.
Le Royal Monceau — Raffles
Sylvie reconnects with her former best friend, Yvette (Michèle Laroque), over a game of backgammon at Le Royal Monceau’s bar. The hotel is found at 37 Avenue Hoche, 75008.
Julien’s Apartment
Mindy crashes at Julien’s (Samuel Arnold) place for a spell after her spat with Emily. But the two besties patch things up in a scene worthy of Romeo and Juliet, with Emily throwing croissants at Mindy this time and apologizing from below Julien’s balcony at 7 Rue la Bruyère, 75009. No miscommunicated fling could ever come between their genuine connection.
Notre-Dame Cathedral of Paris
Emily walks by a tour group admiring the famed Notre-Dame. The guide explains how the 850-year-old cathedral rose from the ashes after a fire and has been given a second chance, a theme Emily takes to heart.
“The Future of Luxury” Panel
Sylvie speaks on “The Future of Luxury” panel at the Fondation Louis Vuitton building, found at 8 Avenue du Mahatma Gandhi, 75116. But to Sylvie and Emily’s surprise, Marcello reveals during her talk that he’s left his family’s company and is launching his own luxury brand.
Yvette’s Home
Sylvie attends a dinner party at Yvette’s home on Rue Saint-Augustin, 75002. (The interiors are filmed at 1 Avenue Niel, 75017.)
La Fontaine Gaillon
Over dinner at La Fontaine Gaillon (found at 1 Rue de la Michodière, 75002), Mindy learns Nico and Marcello are going into business together (and she texts live updates to her bestie).
Bar Tabac Gaillon
Sylvie meets a charming stranger when she steps out for a smoke down the road from Yvette’s residence, found at 2 Rue de la Michodière, 75002.
Bois de Boulogne
Mindy convinces Emily to join her, Nico, and Marcello for some horseback riding over the weekend at Bois de Boulogne. No one can say Mindy isn’t a clever matchmaker, as Emily and Marcello attempt to “clear the air in the open air” while roaming the park’s forest paths.
Paris Pride
Agence Grateau teams up with a water brand on a float at Paris Pride, which parades through Rue de Rivoli. Mindy performs a rendition of “It’s Raining Men,” while Emily and Marcello repair their relationship.
Le Grand Café
Sylvie tells Yvette she has a new lover in her life over an alfresco meal at the Grand Palais, found at 1 Place Clemenceau, 75008.
Brasserie de l’Hôtel du Nord
The newly mended couples — Emily and Marcello and Mindy and Nico — grab pre-party drinks at this bistro, found at 102 Quai de Jemmapes, 75010.
