In Pixar’s Cars 2, the fictional racing town Porto Corsa is meant to represent Italy.
Porto Corsa is the second venue in the World Grand Prix. Its coastal setting, colorful architecture, harbor, and winding streets evoke the Italian Riviera. The race takes place around the town and along roads near the water, giving the middle section of the championship a distinctly Mediterranean character.
The location is fictional, so Porto Corsa is not the name of a real Italian city. It is often discussed alongside the film’s real-world settings because Cars 2 places the World Grand Prix in recognizable international environments. Tokyo hosts the first race, Porto Corsa hosts the second, and London hosts the finale.
Porto Corsa should also be distinguished from Radiator Springs, the American town central to the first film, and Thomasville, the Southern racing community shown in Cars 3. Each location represents a different stage in the franchise’s world of racing and travel.