Naples: From Filming Set to Audiovisual Industry Powerhouse
Naples, February 26, 2026 – The city of Naples has rapidly transformed into a major player in the national audiovisual sector, attracting an impressive 90 million euros in investments over the last three years. According to data from the Municipal Cinema Office, this period has seen nearly 600 productions, including 72 feature films and 54 TV series, filmed either entirely or partially within the city. This remarkable growth signifies Naples’ shift from a simple filming location to a structured and thriving audiovisual industry.
Significant Investment and Production Volume
The substantial investment, calculated at approximately 30 million euros annually, represents the direct costs incurred by production companies. This influx of capital has fueled a dynamic environment, making Naples a key player in Italy’s expanding audiovisual market. The city has hosted numerous successful and long-running productions, including six seasons of ‘Mare fuori,’ five seasons of ‘Gomorra,’ four seasons of ‘L’Amica geniale,’ and ‘I Bastardi di Pizzofalcone,’ as well as three seasons of ‘Mina Settembre’ and ‘Il Commissario Ricciardi.’ The enduring popularity of ‘Un posto al sole,’ Italy’s longest-running TV series with 30 seasons, further underscores the city’s established expertise.
The year 2026 has already kicked off with new projects. Following the conclusion of filming for the second season of ‘Piedone – Uno sbirro a Napoli,’ a series inspired by Bud Spencer’s iconic character, new productions are underway. These include Mario Martone’s latest film, adapted from Domenico Starnone’s novel ‘Scherzetto’ and starring Toni Servillo, and Edoardo De Angelis’s new work, based on Antonio Franchini’s book ‘Il fuoco che ti porti dentro,’ featuring Vanessa Scalera and Lino Musella. Additionally, Ciro Visco’s debut film, ‘Super Santos,’ inspired by a Roberto Saviano text and starring Francesco Di Leva, has begun shooting. Furthermore, seasons seven and eight of ‘Mare fuori’ and the second season of ‘Gomorra – Le origini’ are currently in the writing phase.
Streamlined Bureaucracy Fuels Growth
Between 2023 and 2025 alone, the Cinema Office of the Neapolitan administration supported filming for 590 productions. Beyond feature films and TV series, this includes 64 commercials, 95 documentaries, and 83 television programs. A pivotal factor in this success has been the implementation of streamlined administrative procedures. In December 2022, the Municipality of Naples introduced the ‘Discipline for Audiovisual Filming,’ which codified previous practices to ensure faster processing times and greater efficiency. This initiative aimed to eliminate unnecessary bureaucratic hurdles.
As a result, film crews of up to 10 people can now film in the city by simply submitting a communication to the Cinema Office with only 2-3 days’ notice. The administration has also centralized the functions related to temporary occupation of public land for filming sets and production vehicle parking within the Cinema Office. This consolidation, previously distributed among the SUAP (Single Desk for Productive Activities) and ten Municipalities, has significantly rationalized procedures and drastically reduced bureaucratic processing times from an initial 30 days to a maximum of 7 days.
Further simplification has been achieved through an agreement with the Superintendence of Archaeology, Fine Arts, and Landscape for the Municipality of Naples. This agreement exempts filming activities with a low impact and occupying less than 100 square meters from requiring an opinion from the Superintendence. This new organizational structure has led to a significant increase in concession requests and, consequently, a rise in revenue for the Municipality, demonstrating the immediate and tangible benefits of procedural simplification.
Digitalization and a Unified Approach
The Manfredi administration continues its efforts, focusing on the crucial digitalization of procedures. The ‘Napoli Cinesmart’ platform, an original project by the Municipality of Naples, is currently being finalized. This web-based environment will allow industry professionals to manage all aspects of their filming requests, including public land occupation permits and the activation of ancillary services. These services include purchasing metered parking spaces, temporary transit permits for Limited Traffic Zones (ZTL) or urban pedestrian areas, and requesting support from Local Police agents for traffic management during filming. The portal will be integrated with the ‘Partenopay’ payment system and will also be accessible via smartphones.
Sergio Locoratolo, coordinator of cultural policies for the Municipality, stated, “In the national context of audiovisual expansion, the city is strongly consolidating a specific, measurable, and replicable position. We can confidently speak of a ‘Naples model.'” He further explained that the 90 million euro expenditure by productions over the last three years, approximately 30 million annually, acts as a multifaceted engine for development. This extends beyond extras and crew to include rentals, logistics, transport, hospitality, catering, security, technical services, land occupation, and location fees. These direct expenditures generate indirect impacts (suppliers of suppliers) and induced impacts (worker spending in the area), with an overall effect that transcends the immediate scope of the film set.
From Set to Industry: Retaining Talent and Boosting Tourism
Locoratolo emphasized that the transition from a ‘set’ to an ‘industry’ coincides with a precise economic reality: the city is no longer systematically importing expertise but is now retaining and reproducing it. The prevalence of serial productions like ‘Gomorra,’ ‘L’Amica geniale,’ ‘Mare fuori,’ ‘Ricciardi,’ ‘Pizzofalcone,’ and ‘Un posto al sole’ creates continuity, career paths, specializations, and a local market for technical and organizational personnel. This reduces transaction costs for productions (fewer transfers, less uncertainty, more reliability), increasing the likelihood that Naples will be chosen ‘by default’ as a production base, not merely as a narrative backdrop.
The impact is also evident in tourism. Audiovisual works act as a multiplier of attention, desirability, and curiosity, influencing travel choices. Economic publications and studies on film-induced tourism highlight how series and films can stimulate tourist flows and destination marketing strategies. In Naples’ case, the most structural impact is institutional. The Manfredi administration, Locoratolo concluded, has chosen to transform the city into a governable productive environment, rather than an authorized jungle. The agreement between the Municipality and the Superintendence to simplify low-impact filming is a key element where protection and production cease to be hostile poles and become a regulated perimeter. The same direction is evident in the push for digitalization and the ‘single window’ approach for filming, which signifies not only efficiency but also competitive positioning.
Source: Corriere del Mezzogiorno
