The Best of Italy from the Sky

In this highly inspiring travel video, contributor Kelly Needleman flies his drone over some of the most spectacular sights in Italy.  The video includes bird's eye views of the Dolomite Mountains, Tuscany, Venice, and Cinque Terre, among other spots.  The video was a finalist for the AirVuz Drone Video of the Week Contest and also a winner of the Drone Video of the Month Contest for July, 2018.  If you are considering a trip to Italy in the future, this video may help your decision! 

Nominated for Drone Video of the Week, Kellyneedleman takes us up and down the length of what he says is "a country full of love, life and art."  Italy, known for its food, wine, historic significance, fashion and architecture, is shown through both an aerial lens and fast moving ground camera work.  Strap yourself in for this epic aerial journey that will take you around this magnificent country, from the Dolomite Mountains to Florence, Venice to Rome, and Cinque Terre to Tuscany.   

Venice is one of Italy's most well recognized and treasured sights.  The magnificent Rennaissance city in the Veneto region is, unfortunately,  fighting a losing battle against tourism and water encroachment, leading some to fear that its days may be numbered.  In this video, top contributor and drone pilot Oliver Astrologo takes us on an aerial tour of this magical place, which is a UNESCO World Heritage site. This video is nominated in our Cities & Urban category for the 2nd annual Drone Video Awards.

Through rays of golden sunlight, top contributor BeemFlights reveals the ancient remains of Rome's Colosseum from an aerial view.  The jeers and cheers of the Roman Empire still seem to echo through the weathered arches of the famous amphitheater.  His DJI Mavic 2 Pro drone footage also reveals the modern world that exists beyond the Colosseum's walls in the broad city views of Rome, the Eternal City.  This video was a winner in the Drone Video of the Week contest in October, 2018.

If an award winning content creator takes one of the world's best aerial platforms to perhaps the most beautiful spot in Italy, you would expect to see something special.  That is very much the case in this incredible production from contributor Gianlo, who used a DJI Inspire 2 drone mounted with a Zenmuse X7 camera to create this spectacular view of Italy's Amalfi Coast.  The colors of the grottos and villages of this stretch of coastline on the Gulf of Salerno south of Naples simply jump off the screen!

Top contributor Electriclife flew his drone over the verdant rolling hills of Tuscany, one of Italy's most important regions.  The region covers much of the western coast of Italy, running well into the interior.  Sailing over spectacular scenes of this ancient province, we get aerial glimpses of the beautiful countryside and magnificent estates which seem too beautiful to be real.  This land, which served as the birthplace of the Rennaissance, is one of truly timeless beauty.

Contributor Ryan Shirley experienced pure awe and wonderment when he hiked through the Dolomites in northern Italy, which form part of the Alps Mountains system.  The overwhelming power of the mountain peaks comes across in his intensely edited aerial reel that features shots from Tre Cime di Lavaredo, Seceda, Sassolungo, and Lago di Braies. This video was chosen as a Finalist in the Nature and Landscape category in the 2nd Annual Drone Video Awards.

The magnificent city of Florence (Firenze) sits in the eastern part of Italy's Tuscany region, well away from the Mediterranean coastline.  By most accounts, Florence is credited as being the home of the Rennaisance which propelled the world to modernity beginning in the 13th century.  Top contributor iDrone treats us to a spectacular aerial tour of this magnificent and extremely well preserved Italian city, compliments of his drone.  

Contributor Daniele Bolgia created this stunning aerial mini-tour of Trentino, a province of Northern Italy.  Trentino is essentially the southern half of the semi-autonomous region of Trentino-Alto Adige, the northern half being the province of South Tyrol.  The video will take you through the spectacularly beautiful province, including magnificent shots of the  Dolomites Mountains and the provincial capital Trento.   With a population of about 120,000, Trento is one of the largest cities in the Alps.

Milan is the largest city in northern Italy and the second largest overall after Rome.  Milan is the capital of Lombardy,  the region which is home to about one in six Italians and consistently has been the dynamo of the Italian economy.  While Rome is Italy's political and cultural capital, Milan is its business annd financial capital.  Electriclife treats us to this stunning aerial overview of Milano, including footage of La Scala di Milano, the Unicredit Tower, Citylife Milano, and more.

Cinque Terra is a an area consisting of five pristine villages on the northern Italian coast in the region of Liguria.  The colorful seaside villages make for what is perhaps the most iconic spot in the whole country.  Top contributor iDrone Aerial created this stunning aerial view of the area, which is characterized by the incredible visual interplay between the colors of the Adriatic Sea, the brilliant looking village rooftops, and the surrounding hills and mountains. 

Sicily's Mt. Etna is one of the earth's most active volcanoes.  In the 1990s, it was added to the list of 'Decade Volcanos' by the International Association of Volcanology and Chemistry of the Earth's Interior (IAVCEI). This project was initiated by the United Nations to prepare for disasters created by volcanoes; Etna was selected due to its recent activity and the risk presented to nearby residents.  In this aerial video, drone pilot Haussmannvisuals provides a rare look inside the colossal landmark.

In this stunning drone video of Sardinia, top contributor electriclife uses his DJI Phantom 4 Pro drone to showcase the beauty of this Italian Mediterranean island. The footage is shot around the northeastern corner of the island, and includes the gorgeous Cugnana mountains and the town of Poltu Quatu.  The highlight is aerial footage of Porto Cervo, a town on the famed Costa Smerelda.  The Hotel Cala di Volpe here was a shooting location for the 11th James Bond film, The Spy Who Loved Me (1977).  

Lake Como is Italy's third largest but best known lake.  It is situated in the Lombardy region in the northern part of the country, near the Swiss border.  This deep (max depth of 400 meters or 1.3k ft.), glacial lake in the foothills of the Italian Alps has been a favored getaway for wealthy travelers since Roman times.  Contributor Yoelkamara flew a DJI Mavic Pro drone over Lake Como, creating this marvelous aerial look of this stunning alpine body of water, one of the most iconic sites in Italy.

Trieste is one of the largest cities in northeastern Italy and the capital of the automous Friuli–Venezia Giulia region.  Trieste is the easternmost city in Italy, lying just a few km from Slovenia to its east and also from Croatia to its south.  Situated at the north end of the Adriatic Sea, it's also the largest port on that body of water and it's Italy's #2 port by cargo tonnage after Genoa.  For hundreds of years, Treiste served as the major port of the Austro-Hungarian Empire; control shifted to Italy after World War I.

Verona is the second largest city in northeastern Italy's Veneto region, after Venice.  Like Venice, Verona is considered one of Italy's great cultural centers; among other distinctions, it was the setting of Romeo and Juliet.  Lying just to the west of Verona is Sirmione, a small town at the south end of Lake Garda, which is Italy's largest lake and the border with neighboring Lombardy.  In this video, contributor FreD does a marvelous job of filming both of these treasures with a drone.  

Strap yourself in for this epic aerial tour of Rome, the great capital city of Italy.  Created by a Cristoforoperrone16 using a DJI Phantom 4 drone, 'Roma in 4K' provides a breathtaking bird's eye glimpse of the city's history and heartbeat.  The video features breathtaking bird's eye views of many of the most recognized sites in the Eternal City, including the Colossio, the Forum, the Victor Emmanuel II Monument the Piazza del Popolo, St. Peter's Square, and more.

Contributor Gianluca D'elia takes us on a breathtaking aerial tour of Basilicata, a province of southern Italy.  If the Italian peninsula is seen as a boot, then Basilicata is the "ankle" of the country.  It sits between the provinces of Campania, Apulia, and Calabria.  Basilicata is mountainous country, mostly covered with Appenine range which runs down most of the peninsula.  It is home to many beautiful villages perched upon hills, some of which also have castles.  

Contributor Tobias Hagg has over 200k followers on Instagram, and it's because of videos like this two minute masterpiece from Italy.  It's shot over Tuscany, the famed region which occupies a portion of Italy's western coast on the Ligurian Sea.  Welcome to a land of rolling hills, vineyards, ancient baronial estates, and hilltop towns.  The video was shot on an ideal day for capturing the iconic Tuscan landscape: the entire scene is covered in a gentle mist.  

Turin (Torino) is one of Italy's great cities, the largest in its Piedmont region and its third largest metropolitan area overall.  Situated on the Po River, the Turin has a rich cultural history, and was the initial capital of the country when Piedmont consolidated the modern nation of Italy in the mid-19th century.  Contributor Domischlu created this amazing aerial tour of this city, which is also known as the the headquarters of Fiat Automobiles, the largest Italian auto company.

Sgaggio89 created this marvelous drone video of Cinque Torri, a group of mountains in northeastern Italy.  Cinque Torri is in Belluno, one of the provinces of the Veneto region.  The masif makes up the southwestern boundary of the valley of Cortina d'Ampezzo, the most popular resort town in the Dolomites.   The highest peak in the group is around 2.36k meters (about 7.75k ft.).  Cinque Torri was the scene of intense artillery duels between Italian and Austro-Hungarian forces during the First World War.

This epic reel by Mauro Pagliai demonstrates two things: (1) the cinematic potential of DJI's tiny Spark drone and (2) the beauty of Italy's Abruzzo region.  Abruzzo lies on Italy's eastern (Adriatic Sea) coast, southeast of Rome.  Most of this video was shot in its western portion, a mountainous land full of stunning castles and villages.   As you'll see, the Spark footage is astoundingly high quality, and it draws out the natural beauty of this ancient land.  

Cervina is one of the most popular ski areas in Italy.  It's at the foot of the Matterhorn in the Aosta Valley (Val d'Aosta) region in the northwestern part of the country, very near the Swiss border (the peak of the Matterhorn is in Switzerland but much of its base is in Italy).  It shares the great mountain with Zermatt, the better known ski resort which lies on the Swiss side of the Matterhorn.  In this video by contributor BrianCortinovis, you'll get a great bird's eye view of Cervinia in the warmer months.  

Top contributor used a Zenmuse X7 camera mounted to a DJI Inspire 2 drone to create this spectacular aerial video of Italy's second largest lake.  Lake Maggiore is in the northwestern part of the country, on the border with Switzerland.  It's Italian shoreline is shared by Piedmont and Lombardy regions.  Although not as large as Lake Garda nor as well known as Lake Como (both of which lie to its east), it is nonetheless one of the natural treasures of northern Italy.

The Sanctuary of the Madonna di San Luca sits on top of the hills in Bologna, the largest city in the Emilia-Romagna Region of northern Italy. Built in the Baroque style and opened in 1765, the site was home to a different church or chapel for over a thousand years before the current church was commissioned. Drone pilot enricocif does a splendid job of showing the unique and historic cathedral from above in this aerial piece, which also features footage of the nearby Oratory of Saints Cecilia and Valeriano.

Capri is a small island near the Bay of Naples off the coast of Southern Italy's Campania region.  It lies in the Tyrrhenian Sea, an extension of the Mediterranean.   It is an island known not only for cultural sites but a world-reknowned sailing and yachting scene, and is a playground for Europe's super  rich.  Contributor Paradise Picnic Photography used a DJI Mavic drone to create an amazing aerial portrait of this Mediterranean paradise.

At 16 years old, Kelly Needleman may be young, but he's been surrounded by artists his entire life as well as a fasctination with Italy. Integrating drones in to his film work seemed only natural to him, especially when flying around the gorgeous Tuscan countryside. Flying though Venice and the Dolomites, however, was a little trickier. Hear about the challenge of flying in those areas and about some of Kelly's favorite shots on this episode of The Drone Dish.