Star Wars: Naboo Locations You Can Visit In Real Life
From the snow-covered wasteland of Hoth found in Norway to the forests of Endor in California, there are plenty of "Star Wars" locations to visit in real life, allowing people to experience a galaxy far, far away without all of the hassles of lightspeed space travel. However, fans of the prequels may take a particular interest in Italy, which brings the world of Naboo to life.
In "Star Wars: Episode II — Attack of the Clones," Anakin (Hayden Christensen) escorts Padmé (Natalie Portman) to a Naboo lake retreat, hiding from potential assassination attempts and falling in love during their time away. The Villa del Balbianello was the filming location for these exterior scenes, providing an almost otherworldly view as it overlooks Lake Como. Located in the commune of Lenno, in the northern Lombardy region of Italy, the villa offers picturesque scenery and beautiful terraced gardens, allowing "Star Wars" fans to live out their best Anakin and Padmé relationship in real life.
If that wasn't enough, the villa also offers a private venue for ceremonies and weddings, which Lucasfilm used to film Anakin and Padmé's wedding at the end of "Attack of the Clones." Since the movie's premiere, the Villa del Balbianello has become a popular tourist destination for "Star Wars" fans. Unfortunately, they don't provide overnight accommodations, but there are guided tours for those not looking to tie the knot soon.
"Star Wars" fans planning a vacation to Spain can also visit a classic Naboo location. The Plaza de España, which you can tour in Seville, was used for the planet's capital city of Theed.
George Lucas knew he needed the villa in Star Wars
The Villa del Balbianello brings Naboo to life, and "Star Wars" fans will immediately recognize the iconic location from multiple scenes in "Attack of the Clones." Anakin and Padmé share their first kiss and are married while overlooking Lake Como — not to mention the young Jedi's "I don't like sand" scene, solidifying the villa as an iconic "Star Wars" location.
In a behind-the-scenes interview for "Attack of the Clones," since re-uploaded to YouTube, George Lucas gave insight into how the classic "Star Wars" scenes came to be, revealing he knew he wanted to use the villa in the movie however possible. "I was scouting locations as I was on my vacation," he said. "And I knew I had a scene that took place in some villa someplace in a beautiful part of the countryside that was extremely romantic. I had the exact location, but I didn't have the exact scene." Thankfully, Lucas worked his magic, creating the intimate scenes between Anakin and Padmé around the location, making the Villa del Balbianello a piece of "Star Wars" lore.
In the same snippet, Hayden Christensen recalled his reaction to seeing the location for the first time, saying, "I saw a picture of Lake Como, one of the locations in Italy. It's just surrealistic. It looks like it belongs in 'Star Wars.'" Although there won't be any pear-slicing via the Force, the Villa del Balbianello gives fans their closest opportunity to set foot on Naboo, allowing them to experience a few "Star Wars" locations while enjoying a majestic real-life vacation.