A Fistful of Dollars was filmed primarily in Spain, with some studio work done in Italy.

Quick Scoop: Main Answer

Most of A Fistful of Dollars was shot in central and southern Spain, especially:

  • Around Hoyo de Manzanares , near Madrid (the main “town” set).
  • The Tabernas Desert and Cabo de Gata–NĂ­jar Natural Park in the province of AlmerĂ­a, which provided the arid “Wild West” landscapes.

Interior scenes and some additional work were filmed at CinecittĂ  Studios in Rome, Italy.

Key Filming Spots (Spain & Italy)

  • Hoyo de Manzanares (north of Madrid) – main western street and town exteriors.
  • Los Albaricoques and wider AlmerĂ­a area – various “Mexican” town and desert scenes.
  • Tabernas Desert – iconic wide, dusty landscapes.
  • Cabo de Gata–NĂ­jar Natural Park – coastal and semi-desert backdrops.
  • Aldea del Fresno, near the Alberche River, close to Madrid – river and crossing sequences.
  • CinecittĂ  Studios (Rome) – interiors like saloon, hacienda, and house scenes.

Short table of the main areas

[7][3] [7][1][3] [1][3][7] [3][1] [1][3] [3][1]
Area Country What it was used for
Hoyo de Manzanares (Madrid) Spain Main town set, duels and street scenes.
Tabernas Desert (Almería) Spain Open desert “Wild West” landscapes.
Cabo de Gata–Níjar (Almería) Spain Additional arid and coastal backdrops.
Los Albaricoques (AlmerĂ­a) Spain Town exteriors and surrounding roads.
Aldea del Fresno (Madrid) Spain Riverbank and crossing scenes near the Alberche River.
CinecittĂ  Studios (Rome) Italy Interior sets (saloon, hacienda, various rooms).

Tiny bit of context

These Spanish landscapes were chosen because they could convincingly pass for the American–Mexican border towns of classic Westerns while being much cheaper and closer to the Italian production base.

TL;DR: It was shot mostly in Spain (Hoyo de Manzanares, Tabernas Desert, Cabo de Gata, AlmerĂ­a region) with interiors done at CinecittĂ  Studios in Rome, Italy.

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