Christopher Nolan has made himself known, in recent years, for his huge casts and even bigger practical effects. In turn, he often turns to real locations to film his movies, selling his vision and scale in a way that feels much more tangible.

It always seems there's one large set piece in each of Christopher Nolan's movies that sparks discussion for a while after its release. Tenet had its plane crash; Interstellar had its black hole that took 100 hours to render, per frame; Oppenheimer had the Trinity Test. For The Odyssey, they managed to construct a fully practical, 60-foot-tall animatronic and puppet, used for the Cyclops, Polyphemus. This alone proves that The Odyssey is one of Nolan's biggest films yet, especially behind the scenes, as well as the fact that this movie was shot across six different countries and used nearly 7,000 background actors; not to mention it making history for being the first movie shot entirely on IMAX cameras.

Due to this enormous scale, Nolan's sets would be almost fully practical, utilising real-life places to construct Odysseus' home island of Ithaca, as well as his historic journey home. This article will contain spoilers for The Odyssey.

What is The Odyssey?

The Odyssey is based on an ancient Greek poem by Homer. This follows Odysseus (Matt Damon), a great warrior and ruler of Ithaca, following the events of the Trojan War. After 10 long years of this war, Odysseus and his soldiers journey home, but find it to be much more difficult than it seemed.

Fighting their hunger, Odysseus and his men find shore on an island which they soon find to be inhabited by a great Cyclops, Polyphemus. After blinding Polyphemus to escape, they come to realise he is the son of Poseidon, god of the seas. Angering Poseidon, this crew is forced through a much more perilous journey home, defying the gods on their voyage.

After encountering giants who destroy nearly Odysseus' entire fleet, a witch who turns his entire crew into pigs, sirens intent on luring them into dangerous waters, sea monsters, and being temporarily stranded on an island inhabited by sacred cattle - goading this crew into defying the Sun God by killing and eating them - Odysseus finally reaches an island where he, as the sole survivor, is held with Calypso for seven years. Odysseus forgets his wife, Penelope (Anne Hathaway), and son, Telemachus (Tom Holland), before long, due to him eating the Lotus, which causes him to lose his memory, and he is unknowingly held against his will by Calypso - until he is finally able to escape back to Ithaca.

As these events are unfolding, potential suitors for Penelope's hand in marriage raid her palace in Ithaca, under the guise of courting her, and live off Odysseus' spoils for many years. To avoid Penelope having to eventually marry one of these unfit suitors, Telemachus ventures out to sea to find his father, yet only finds tales from his former comrades in the Trojan War. When Odysseus finally returns to Ithaca under a disguise, he's greeted by these suitors. Once he proves his worth, he battles every one of the 108 men, previously intent on Penelope's hand, to return to his wife and take his palace back.

What Locations Can I Visit From The Odyssey?

Polyphemus' Cave - Nestor's Cave

In this scene, Odysseus and his men follow a sheep into a cave, thinking it'll lead them to its flock. Once inside, they're followed by the great Cyclops, Polyphemus, who closes their only exit. After killing two of Odysseus' men, Polyphemus falls asleep. This allows the crew to devise a plan of escape. Unable to move the boulder blocking the entrance themselves, Odysseus creates a plan to blind Polyphemus with a sharpened stake, blending in with the Cyclops' sheep to escape with the herd.

This scene is special, as it doesn't just use a real location, but also a 60-foot-tall animatronic and puppet, as previously mentioned. This was created so that the many actors in this scene weren't forced to work alongside CGI, allowing their performance to be much more convincing.

Nestor's Cave is located at Voidokilia Beach, in the Messinia region on the Navarino Coast of Greece.

Island of the Laestrygonians - Culbin Beach

In search for food, Odysseus and his men venture onto an island which they come to find out is inhabited by man-eating giants. After these giants kill many of Odysseus' men, they're able to narrowly escape with only one ship left.

Culbin Beach is located in the North of Scotland, sitting between the towns of Nairn and Findhorn Bay.

Troy - Ait Benhaddou, Morocco

Christopher Nolan reimagined the ancient city of Troy in Morocco. In these scenes, we see the Trojans accept the iconic Trojan Horse statue as a peace offering. Many soldiers, including Odysseus, jump out of this horse once night falls, and allows the rest of their army to emerge past Troy's walls.

Ait Benhaddou is a historic walled village located in central Morocco, about three hours outside of Marrakech.

The Palace of Odysseus - Favignana, Italy

In these scenes, we see Penelope and Telemachus await Odysseus' arrival. This palace has been overrun with potential suitors who raided under the guise of courting Penelope, drinking Odysseus' entire collection of wine. The entirety of Anne Hathaway's, Robert Pattinson's, John Leguizamo's, and Corey Hawkins' scenes are filmed in this palace.

Favignana is located off the western coast of Sicily, Italy - and is reached by a 30-minute ferry from the port of Trapani.

Charybdis - Faraglioni Di Lipari, Italy

This scene frames a pivotal moment in this historic journey, in which Odysseus and his men fight against the deadly whirlpool, Charybdis. After encountering deadly sirens, Odysseus' crew must face off against the tides, as well as the sea monster, Scylla.

Faraglioni Di Lipari is located off the southern coast of Sicily, Italy, and sits between the strait between Lipari and the island of Vulcano.