Pokémon Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl could be set in Italy

It finally seems possible: Italy could be the location of the next Pokémon game and a screenshot from the upcoming Diamond and Pearl remakes suggest it!

It’s well known that Game Freak likes to insert references to later generations into earlier games. Here we see a painting of what appears to be a gondola or longboat. One immediately thinks of Venice, the beautiful Venetian lagoon that is part of Italy’s heritage and a destination for many tourists every year. The Serenissima would be the perfect setting for a romantic and atmospheric Pokémon city.

However, @eclipse_tt pointed out in his tweet that the painting bears a striking resemblance to Vincent van Gogh’s ‘Starry Night on the Rhone, painted in 1888 and exhibited in Paris, which depicts the Rhone River at night with boats moored there. This is an area of Arles near the yellow house (the protagonist of another painting from the same period) where the painter lived for some of his years.

The reference to France seems unlikely, however, as the Kalos region of Pokémon X and Y is already inspired by that country. Van Gogh could be the clue, as he is a Dutch painter. Bicycles, tulip fields and windmills, rivers and lush landscapes, boats, and colorful houses would be a beautiful setting for a Pokémon game.