[2] The basis for the film is a 5th-century poem by the Roman writer Rutilius Claudius Namatianus, discovered in incomplete form and titled De reditu suo [it] in the 15th century.

[4] Both visually and thematically, The Voyage Home ties in with Roberto Rossellini's 1972 film Augustine of Hippo [it], for which Claudio Bondì [it] had been an assistant director.

[7] Bondì thought the setting shortly after the sack of Rome made the story relevant in the early 21st century, saying that the protagonist's "difficulty is very similar to ours with the Islamic world".

[9] Bondì aimed to be historically accurate when depicting phenomena like slavery, and at the same time make The Voyage Home relevant for contemporary viewers.

[10] The actor Elia Schilton won the leading role because Bondì thought his face looked ancient, because he spoke French, and because he had a peculiar accent.

[11] Emiliano Morreale wrote in FilmTV [it] that it seems to be modeled on Roberto Rossellini's television works, and therefore "appears like a UFO in the Italian cinema of today".

[12] He thought there were problems with the "economic poverty of the staging", parts of the casting, and the lack of intensity, but wrote that "a few well-chosen sets" partially save the film.

[13] He saw influences from Pier Paolo Pasolini and Rossellini, but also wrote that the limited budget on occasions makes it feel "like a Monty Python parody".