5 Italian Movies to Get You Excited for the Venice Film Festival

The 71st Venice Film Festival has just started with this year's festival poster paying tribute to François Truffaut.

In order to get excited for what will surely be an impressive line-up of movies from all over the globe at the oldest film festival in the world, we suggest buying these 5 iconic Italian movies that any serious cinema lover needs to see, from budding romance in Florence directed by James Ivory to a masterpiece directed and starring famous Italian film star Roberto Benigni. We also included one of the best examples of Italian neorealism, with Vittorio De Sica's 1948 film The Bicycle Thief, using all non-professional actors, depicting a story that details the hardships of working-class life after the war.

Pop some popcorn and enjoy these hand-picked DVDs!