This Is Italy
James Bond has already had to postpone his 2020 trip to Matera in Basilicata twice. But at the end of September of this year it will come about, or so we have been told. He must be eager with impatience, because Order Bond likes to travel quite a bit, as we know after 25 official Bond films.
Each Bond film in the series is a half-world trip. For the latest Bond movie no time to die was filmed in England, Scotland, Norway, the Faroe Islands, Jamaica and – of course – Italy.
As we eagerly await the release of Daniel Craig's final appearance as James Bond, let's take a look at all the Bond scenes that took place in Italy. Because there have been quite a few!
Here they come, in chronological order.
From Russia with Love (1963) – Venice
Venice briefly set the stage for the first time From Russia with Love. James Bond – here played by Sean Connery – and Tatiana Romanova (Daniela Bianchi) deal with Rosa Klebb (Lotte Lenya) in a hotel room overlooking the island of San Giorgio Maggiore.
In a scene at the end of the film, Bond is chased by the baddies of the global crime syndicate Specter, seeking vengeance after Bond kills their Dr. No in the first movie has turned off.
In the final scene of the film, Bond is in a boat with Russian double agent Tatiana Romanova as they pass under the Bridge of Sighs.
The special effects weren't great at this time (and the actors weren't even on site, but were edited into the footage later), but the Venice background is of course timeless.
The Spy Who Loved Me (1977) – Sardinia
In this scene, taken from the tenth film in the series, Bond (Roger Moore) and the charming Kremlin agent Anya Amasova flee from the henchmen of Bond rival Karl Stromberg.
Not a nice man, that Stromberg: he plans to destroy the world and create a new civilization under water.
The spy duo narrowly escapes, thanks to the sleight of hand that Bond's Lotus Esprit can cleverly transform itself into a submarine, much to the amazement of the beach crowd.
Although the underwater scenes were shot in the Bahamas, the chase itself took place on Sardinia's sunny Costa Smeralda.
Moonraker (1979) – Venice
Bond visited the city that lives with water no less than 3 times. The first time there was hardly any action, but that was in 1979 with Roger Moore as Bond in Moonraker different.
Bond arrives by gondola on St. Mark's Square and then many of Venice's most beautiful places – both the famous and the unknown – pass by.
At one point in the film, Bond is chased by the cronies of the antagonist Hugo Drax (who wants to destroy the world, what else?) and then it turns out that his gondola can easily be converted into a speedboat and a hovercraft.
For Your Eyes Only (1981) – Cortina d'Ampezzo
In this Bond film, also starring Roger Moore, 007 is tasked with looking for a British encryption device that was lost in the sinking of a British spy ship. It must be prevented at all costs from falling into the hands of the Russians.
His mission takes him to the fashionable winter sports resort Cortina d'Ampezzo, one of the chicest places in the Dolomites.
At the site of the 1956 Winter Olympics, Bond is chased by would-be assassins (again!) and takes the opportunity to show off his skiing skills.
Is there anything this man can't do?
Casino Royale (2006) – Lake Como & Venice
The first film starring Daniel Craig as the famous MI6 agent and Bond's 3rd visit to Venice. In Casino Royale Bond happily floats through the canals with his beloved Vesper Lynd, the liaison officer for Britain's national treasury.
Determined to continue his fledgling career (Casino Royale is a reboot of the Bond series), Bond mails his resignation to MI6 to spend more time with his love.
Bond does not know yet that Vesper is opposing him and will betray him. The climax of the film is a dramatic scene with a collapsing canal house (which fortunately was filmed in the studio).
Earlier in the film, we see Bond recovering from his confrontation with the villain Le Chiffre in one of the most beautiful places on Lake Como: Villa Balbianello near Lenno on the Làvedo peninsula.
In the final scene of the film, Bond is back at Lake Como and meets Mr. White at Villa La Gaeta, which also forms a picture of a decor.
Quantum of Solace (2008) – Lake Garda, Carrara & Tuscany
This movie, also starring Craig, is a direct sequel to Casino Royale. In the opening scene, we see Bond dashing along in his Aston Martin DBS – featuring the villain Mr. White from the closing scene of the previous film stashed in the trunk - while trying to escape from his pursuers in 2 Alfa Romeo's 159.
Look closely and you will recognize Lake Garda and the Carrara marble quarries. With a car ready for scrap, Bond then drives up the Piazzetta della Paglietta in Siena to the secret MI6 hideout.
During an on-site interrogation session, a prisoner escapes. A merry chase ensues in Piazza del Campo where – hey, that's a coincidence! – the Palio di Siena, the annual world-famous horse race, just takes place.
All footage of the race, edited in the film, is real. Then we see Bond in an exciting chase across the Sienese rooftops.
Some scenes were also shot in Maratea and Craco in Basilicata.
Specter (2015) – Rome and Vatican City
This film has a strong plot, in which the character Bond - again played by Daniel Craig - gets a deeper layer. Bond receives a message from the past that forces him to travel again, including Mexico and Rome.
The name of the film is of course derived from the secret crime organization, which Sean Connery also had to deal with in 1963.
Spectacular is another high-speed chase between Bonds Aston Martin DB10 and Mr. Hinx' Jaguar C-X75 in the narrow streets of the Roman center.
Meanwhile, you barely have time to enjoy iconic backdrops such as Gianicoli Hill, Piazza Navona, Prati, Vatican City and the banks of the Tiber.
After Feyenoord hooligans wreaked havoc in the center of Rome, there was less enthusiasm among the Romans for the shooting and chase scenes for which streets and squares were closed off for days.
For example, a funeral scene was shot in which only English-speaking security guards kept the curious population at a distance.
The Romans lost their patience: 'Why aren't these images just shot in a studio? You can't paralyze a city for the shooting of a movie, can you?'
And yet they were also proud of their Monica Belucci who was allowed to play the Bond girl.
No Time to Die (2021) – Matera
In the 25th James Bond movie No Time to Die James Bond has left his turbulent life as a secret agent behind and now leads a quiet life in Jamaica.
But it's a Bond movie, so the peace and quiet won't last long. Bond must return from retirement when his old friend and CIA agent Felix Leiter asks him to help free a kidnapped scientist.
Proving more treacherous than expected, this mission leads Bond on the trail of a mysterious villain armed with deadly new technology.
In the trailer of No Time to Die is the very first shot of the film in Matera, an old town in Basilicata that looks like it was chewed out of the hills.
Once again, Bond (played for the last time by Daniel Craig) with his classic Aston Martin DB5 ends up in a chase, which magically Basilicata and Gravina in Apulia connects together.
This last spot is where Bond jumps off the famous Ponte Acquedotto, a well-preserved bridge from Roman times.
A chase scene begins in Piazza San Pietro Caveoso. The motorcycle stunt took place near Matera Cathedral in Piazza Duomo.
The serene Sapri, near Salerno in southwestern Italy (Calabria), does not feature prominently in the trailer. But for No time to die would have been recorded there for 2 days on the nearby beach of Arcomagno.
For Daniel Craig it is now old fashioned, but from September 30th we can finally see it all for ourselves.
What is your favorite James Bond-in-Italy scene?
Sources: thelocal.it, filmink.com, citalia.com, gq-magazine.co.uk, atlasofwonders.com, bondlocations.com, onthetracksof007.com
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