The story of Avanti is set on the island of Ischia, where some of the exterior scenes were shot, including a brief scene outside the morgue (the interior of which, as with all the interior sets, was designed by Italian production designer Ferdinando Scarfiotti), at and around the port of Ischia, where Lemmon and Mills arrive on the island, and on a small rock jutting out of the water just off the shore of Ischia, where Mills' nude scene takes place. But most of the exteriors were shot in Sorrento, including the exterior of Lemmon's hotel, on Capri, notably the hilltop heliport overlooking the Tyrrhenian Sea, and along the Amalfi Coast, and interiors were filmed on Scarfiotti's sets (including the interior lobby and rooms of Lemmon's hotel) at the Safa Palatino Studios in Rome following location shooting during the summer of 1972. Principal photography was completed on schedule and $100,000 under budget.