Netflix offers a rich catalogue of Italian productions. From Neapolitan thrillers to historical dramas, these series provide authentic linguistic immersion whilst telling captivating stories.
Here are 12 series available on Netflix that will help you progress in Italian without boring you for a single second.
1. Gomorra
Naples, its Camorra, its violence. This series adapted from Roberto Saviano’s book delves into the wars of Neapolitan mafia clans. Don Pietro Savastano rules his criminal empire with an iron fist, but his son Genny isn’t ready to take over.
Ciro “l’Immortel” becomes his mentor, triggering a merciless generational war. Five seasons of betrayals, broken alliances and raw violence. The series was filmed in the real neighbourhoods of Scampia and Secondigliano.
Why watch it: Authentic Neapolitan dialect, street vocabulary, breathtaking pace. It’s the reference for modern Italian crime drama. Be warned, the violence is very realistic and omnipresent.
2. Suburra
Underground Rome, where the mafia, politics and the Vatican meet. Three ambitious young men – Aureliano, Spadino and Lele – launch into a war to control the Roman coastline coveted for a casino project.
Inspired by the Mafia Capitale scandal that splashed the Roman government in the 2000s, the series shows a system where money and power reign without limits. Netflix’s first original Italian series.
Why watch it: Roman Italian, political corruption, hard-hitting dialogue. Three seasons that reveal the dark side of the Eternal City.
3. Mare Fuori (The Sea Beyond)
A juvenile detention centre in Naples with a sea view. Filippo, from a well-off family who dreams of music, and Carmine, who wants to escape his mafia clan to become a hairdresser, arrive at this institute.
A phenomenon in Italy from its release in 2020, the series explores adolescence under extreme pressure. Friendship, love, redemption and mistakes that come at a high price.
Why watch it: Young vocabulary, familiar Neapolitan language, human stories. Perfect for understanding Italian spoken by teenagers. Season 3 marks a real qualitative turning point.
4. Baby
Two schoolgirls from Parioli, Rome’s posh district, fall into a double life. Chiara and Ludovica, from well-off families, are bored. They begin prostituting themselves to buy luxury goods and escape their daily routine.
Inspired by the “Baby Squillo” scandal of 2014, the series created enormous controversy. Three seasons exploring the malaise of Rome’s gilded youth.
Why watch it: Contemporary Italian, schoolgirl language, Roman dialects. Polished photography and stylish atmosphere. Controversial but powerful.
5. Lidia fa la legge (La legge di Lidia Poët)
Turin, 1883. Lidia Poët becomes the first woman registered at the bar in Italy. Three months later, the Court of Cassation strikes her off because she’s a woman. She continues practising unofficially in her brother’s practice.
Each episode mixes criminal investigation with feminist struggle in 19th-century Italy. Matilda De Angelis embodies this pioneer brilliantly.
Why watch it: Formal Italian, legal vocabulary, historical context. Ideal for intermediate levels. Magnificent costumes and sets.
6. Il Gattopardo (Le Guépard)
Sicily, 1860s. Don Fabrizio Corbera, Prince of Salina, watches Italian unification sweep away the aristocracy. “Everything must change so that nothing changes”: his philosophy facing upheaval.
Adaptation of Giuseppe Tomasi di Lampedusa’s cult novel, already brought to cinema by Visconti in 1963. Sumptuous production, polished dialogue, major historical epic.
Why watch it: Literary Italian, noble vocabulary, elegant turns of phrase. For advanced learners wanting to enrich their register.
7. Briganti
Brigandage in Southern Italy after unification. Netflix explores this little-known page of Italian history: those rebels from the Mezzogiorno who refused the new order.
Far from folklore, the series shows violent resistance to the new kingdom. Rich historical context, complex characters, raw photography.
Why watch it: Southern dialects, historical vocabulary, archaic Italian. Discovery of a poorly known period of Italian history.
8. Il Mostro (Le Monstre de Florence)
Series by the creator of Gomorra, Stefano Sollima. The case of the serial killer who terrorised Florence between the 1960s and 1980s. At least 16 victims, never identified.
Filmed in Florence, the series explores all viewpoints: investigators, suspects, victims. Four chilling episodes on one of Italy’s darkest cases.
Why watch it: Standard Italian, police vocabulary, complex investigation. Short but intense format.
9. Suburræterna
Direct sequel to Suburra. The main characters – Aureliano, Spadino and Lele – face new challenges in corrupt Rome. Even more twists, suspense and action.
Spectacular scenes filmed in Rome’s iconic locations. Violence intensifies, alliances change.
Why watch it: Continuity with Suburra. Urban Italian, Roman slang, rapid dialogue. For those wanting the sequel after the first three seasons.
10. ACAB – Désordre public
Contemporary Rome. Mazinga, veteran of a riot squad, returns with a new team. Internal investigation, police violence, social fractures. Six episodes exploring this profession’s daily life.
Adaptation of the series of the same name released in 2012. Cold colours of uniforms against warm tones of smoke grenades. Objective and internalised violence.
Why watch it: Contemporary Italian, police jargon, social tensions. Portrait of a fractured society. Released in January 2025.
11. Romanzo Criminale
Rome, 1970s. Il Libanese, il Freddo and il Dandy want to conquer the capital: drugs, gambling, prostitution. The Banda della Magliana terrorises Rome for two decades.
Created by Stefano Sollima (Gomorra, Suburra), this series is considered one of the best Italian productions. Two seasons, 22 episodes of pure organised crime.
Why watch it: 1970s-80s Italian, Roman criminal slang, period atmosphere. Period music and cars. Available on Netflix in certain countries.
12. Adorazione
College in Pisa. Nobody dared stand up to the popular pupils… until Terry arrives. New rivalries, secrets, confrontations.
Modern Italian teen series exploring contemporary youth codes. Power dynamics, friendship, first loves.
Why watch it: Current young Italian, modern expressions, adolescent codes. Perfect for understanding how Italian teenagers speak today.
To conclude
There you have it for this selection of Italian series on Netflix! The main advice: always start with Italian subtitles, not English. At first, it’ll seem difficult, but that’s how you really progress.
If you’re a beginner, avoid Gomorra and Suburra to start with – the dialects and slang will lose you. Rather favour “Lidia fa la legge” or “Il Gattopardo” which use more standard and articulated Italian.
For intermediate levels, “Mare Fuori” is perfect: the Italian is contemporary without being too slangy, and the stories are captivating. And if you really want to challenge yourself with authentic Neapolitan, launch into Gomorra – but be warned, it’s tough going.
Final tip: don’t get discouraged if you don’t understand everything at the beginning. Even Northern Italians sometimes struggle with Gomorra’s Neapolitan! The important thing is getting used to the sounds, rhythm, intonations. Understanding will come gradually.