La Dolce Villa cast and character guide: Who plays whom in the Netflix film?

La Dolce Villa is a romantic comedy film that premiered on Netflix on February 5, 2025. It follows an American businessman who finds love in Italy after his young daughter plans to buy an old Tuscan villa.

The film's official synopsis, per IMDb, reads:

"A successful businessman travels to Italy to stop his daughter from spending all her money to restore an old villa, but Italy has other romantic plans."

Mark Waters, who helms this film, has previously directed Mean Girls (2004), Freaky Friday (2003), and Ghosts of Girlfriends Past (2009). He has also produced films such as 500 Days of Summer (2009).

The script is written by Elizabeth Hackett and Hilary Galanoy, who have previously worked together on Love, Guaranteed (2020) and Falling in Love (2019). The cast of La Dolce Villa includes Scott Foley, Violante Placido, Maia Reficco, Giuseppe Futia, Simone Luglio, and Tommaso Basili in the central roles.

La Dolce Villa: Full list of main cast and characters explored

La Dolce Villa follows a middle-aged American businessman who moves to Italy after his daughter plans to buy an Italian villa and renovate it. While helping her, he finds the love of his life. The film, directed by the Mean Girls director, is currently streaming on Netflix.

1) Scott Foley as Eric

Scott Foley plays Eric, a middle-aged father who falls for a woman after moving to Italy. Foley is widely known for his roles in Scandal, The Unity, Whisky Cavalier, The Big Leap, and Felicity. He has also guest-starred in popular television projects like Grey's Anatomy, Dawson's Creek, and House.

2) Violante Placido as Francesca

Violante Placido stars as Francesca, Eric's romantic interest who finds a place in his heart despite his no-nonsense life philosophy. This Italian actress has starred in George Clooney-led The American (2010), Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengeance (2011), L'anima Gemella (2002), and Lezioni di cioccolato (2010).

3) Maia Reficco as Olivia

La Dolce Villa brings Maia Reficco in the role of Olivia, Eric's young daughter, who decides to buy an Italian villa because a small mayor told her that it is available for a price as low as 1 Euro. Reficco is an American-Argentine actress, mainly known for her performances in Pretty Little Liars: Original Sin (2022), Do Revenge (2022), and One Fast Move (2024).

4) Giuseppe Futia as Giovanni

Giuseppe Futia plays Giovanni, Olivia's love interest who appears in her love and shows his cooking skills—as she tries to fulfill her ambitious dream. Futia has previously acted in Still Out of My League (2021), Backstage: dietro le quinte (2022), and U.S. Palmese (2024).

5) Simone Luglio as Nino

Simone Luglio plays Ninom, an Italian local who appears in some local property-related dialogues with Eric. Luglio has previously appeared in Pietro Marcello's Martin Eden (2019), a historical romance drama led by Luca Marinelli.

6) Tommaso Basili as Bernardo

La Dolce Villa casts Tommaso Basili as Bernardo, who seems to be Francesca's close friend. Basili has acted in films like Michael Mann's Ferrari (2023), Here After (2024), and Four to Dinner (2022).