No Place to Be Single
Two handsome bachelors stay with two beautiful sisters in a fairytale town in Tuscany. What could go wrong?
Sour grapes: Matilde Gioli and Cristiano Caccamo
Image courtesy of Amazon Prime.
by ELOISE BARKER
What happens when the owner of an invaluable vineyard dies? Well, his good-looking nephews arrive from Milan and immediately become the town’s most eligible bachelors. And, conveniently, they are also the childhood friends of our protagonists, the sisters Elisa and Giada…
True to the title, in the beautiful Tuscan town of Belvedere, love is in the air and all around, yet Elisa (Matilde Gioli) is isolated from such, and she does not seem to care. With the imminent arrival of Michele (Cristiano Caccamo) and Carlo (Sebastian Pigazzi) following their uncle’s death, Belvedere is humming with gossip, it being the principal commodity exchanged at market. After the funeral, Mariana (Cecilia Dazzi), the sisters’ mother and chief gossip, invites the bachelors to stay at Le Giuggiole, the idyllic farmhouse on their uncle’s land. The brothers are then crammed into the house with the sisters, Elisa and Giada (Amanda Camana), their mother, and Elisa’s teenage daughter Linda (Margherita Rebeggiani).
From the beginning it is evident that our prince and princess, Elisa and Michele, shall fall in love as they walk amongst the vines and, following a hose-related incident, are forced to change out of their wet clothes and peek at each other through a slatted fence. Indeed, the two do really like one another until Elisa eavesdrops on Michele on the phone; and then matters become truly complicated. Elisa learns of his intention to sell the estate and, as he didn’t even have the courtesy to inform her, her infatuation turns to animosity. So begins a tangle of deceit and dishonesty, as Elisa plots with her sister and mother to save their childhood home – and their livelihoods.
Based on Felicia Kingsley’s bestselling novel, No Place to Be Single is more than pleasing and although some elements of the plot are not incredibly original, it is entirely entertaining as the characters come to grips with their emotions. However, the English dubbing is quite horrendous, so watching the movie in its original Italian (with English subtitles) is recommended. Regardless, the film is delightful as it navigates love, desire and particularly trust, ultimately reaching the conclusion that love is far more important than material prosperity. In order for someone to love you, you must be true to yourself, as it’s one’s oddities and flaws that really make a person interesting – and, indeed, loveable. Complementing the stunning Tuscan scenery is a very enjoyable soundtrack, too, with songs by the likes of Kylie Minogue, Lily Krenshaw, Portishead and Christina Perri.
Original title: Non è un paese per single.
Cast: Matilde Gioli, Cristiano Caccamo, Amanda Campana, Sebastiano Pigazzi, Cecilia Dazzi, Margherita Rebeggiani, Pietro Resta, Elisa Proietti, Francesco Turbanti, Fiorenza D'Antonio.
Dir Laura Chiossone, Pro Paola Lucisano, Screenplay Alessandra Martellini, Giulia Magda Martinez and Matteo Visconti, Ph Valerio Evangelista, Pro Des Paolo Sansoni, Ed Luciana Pandolfelli, Music Ratchev & Carratello, Costumes Cristiana Macini.
Amazon MGM Studios/Italian International Film-Amazon Media/Amazon Prime.
104 mins. Italy. 2026. UK, US and Italian Rel: 8 May 2026. Cert. 15.
