Julia Roberts shooting film in Italy

ROME, Aug. 18 (UPI) -- Film star Julia Roberts is heading to Rome this week to work on the upcoming big-screen adaptation of Elizabeth Gilbert's memoir "Eat, Pray, Love," ANSA said.

Roberts, who has acted on-screen only sporadically in recent years because she wanted to stay home with her three young children, is best known for her roles in the romantic comedies "Pretty Woman" and "My Best Friend's Wedding." She won an Oscar for her performance in "Erin Brockovich."

Her latest film, which is being directed by Ryan Murphy, is slated for theatrical release in 2011. It is about Gilbert's adventures traveling to Italy, India and Indonesia where she tried to find herself in the wake of a nasty divorce.

ANSA said the exact locations where Roberts is expected to shoot scenes for the movie have not been disclosed, but the news agency noted Rome's Villa Borghese gardens and medieval alleys earned mentions in the book.

Roberts and Ryan reportedly are expected to shoot subsequent scenes in India and Indonesia after they leave Italy.