Agent Field Report- OPERATION: EURO2010

The 11 Day Italy-Switzerland-France Film Location tour, "Bond, Bourne and Beyond", concluded its tour on September 1, 2010, and consisted of James Bond film fans from around the globe, sharing in the sites, sounds and tastes of the 007 Lifestyle.  The tour logged nearly 1000 miles from Venice to Paris in its quest to see as many of the film sites as possible, enjoy the cuisines and peoples of the countries visited and judging by the account below, we feel we succeeded!

The following is a brief recap of the daily adventures of the tour and activities should you wish to plan your own journey.

VENICE, ITALY

Arrive Venice- August 22nd- greeted by GLOBUS tour operatives, working in concert with Richard and Leslie Skillman of Themepartypeople.com, who created this mission.
Gather the 00’s and transfer via water taxi to safe house- the Hotel Splendide Suisse, off San Marco. After our luggage is safely stowed away, we noted that the bag with the 007 party collectables had fallen in the canal and was retreived by Mr. White, we quickly surmise that this will increase the value of the merchandise. 

We toured San Marco and visited the "Moonraker" locations such as the Venini Glass shop, the Astrological Clock of the Chang fight (note that it is an archway and that no band, piano or seating exist below the clock) and from "Casino Royale" Vesper/007 locations –the Basel Bank, the alley walks out to the Sotoportego de le Colonne. We dined at the AiBarbaciri for lunch and enjoyed spaghetti con vongole with a nice Zonin Prosecco salute followed by a Cabert Fruli Pinot Grigio. 

We push on to the Santa Maria Formosa church, used in the Donald Sutherland film, "Don't Look Now' and on the corner, the Il Canovaccio Mask Shop, which designed and provided the masks used in Stanley Kubrick's "Eyes Wide Shut", we see Tom Cruise's mask which is among the costumes and masks from the production.

A quick walk to the Misercordia area which was featured in Moonraker as the scenes in which Bond picks up Holly Goodhead and is also near the “intersection” where the lovers gondola is split in two.

 We continued on over the Rialto Bridge and visited the Pesceria fish market, seen in "Casino Royale" and the sinking piazza filming locations- reviewing the production photos from the minatures used at Pinewood and the actual structures on location. Taking a water taxi from the Ca De Oro docks, we disembark at the Ca' Rezzonico and quickly tour the interiors of this museum, which appear as Drax's Venice offices. Noting that photos are not allowed, some of my agents use their spy craft to achieve the surveillance needed.

The Santa Barnaba church is nearby and this exterior is seen in "Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade" and our tour crowds around the manhole cover where Harrison Ford escapes the fires in a catacomb, however, with the fact that in Venice that could not be possible to have deep caverns below ground. The tourists in the square are confused as to why so much fuss is made about a sewer cover.

Along the Rio Santa Margherita, we were treated to a private tour of the gondola repair and refinishing shed, visible in the gondola chase scene from "Moonraker", and along this canal, the chase, the coffin and the coughing cigarette boozer sequences were filmed. Across the Academia Bridge and onto the Ca’Pissani, which we learn from our Veneto production assistant was used for the CGI façade of the sinking piazza in "Casino Royale". Although now a private music school, we have permission to enter and view the courtyards seen in "Moonraker" and more famously as the location where Vesper delivers the money to the villain Gettler and the finale action sequence begins in "Casino Royale". The docks here were also seen in "Moonraker" where 007 pulls his gondola up in the evening and where Indiana Jones drops off the Fez wearing protectors of the Holy Grail.
A quick respite at Florians for more prosecco and olive appetizers, the Venetian heat and humidity taking its toll on our team- we secured the services of a professional dance instructor from our group, Mr. Robert for tango lessons, as we danced to  the strains of "Por Una Cabeza" from the film "True Lies"- Miss Jenny from California wowed the crowd with her Argentine interpretations.

Keeping with the 007 focus, on to the glass blowing factory, where we learned that Drax’s poison vials would not be created here but in a cut glass assembly area due to their shape. The glassware seen here is made on the island Murano nearby and is esquisite and expensive. We assembled at Harry’s Bar, known for its potent martinis and Bellini’s- the secret is in the martinis being shaken and then put in a quick freeze, to ultra chill the gin to a high alcohol potency, and a $25 per drink experience we will not forget. As it was a tiring day of sightseeing and cultural activities, our group leave Harry's and boarded three gondolas with an opera singer from Milan accompanied by an accordion player, and enjoyed the music of Veneto into the early evening.  We walk on to the Danielli  lobby bar for Vesper martinis and discuss the film Bond lore that has taken place in this landmark hotel and on to Teatre Del Nino for linguine con cuttlefish, noodles cooked in the black ink of the squid and a delightful Veneto pinot grigio.

The next morning, our water taxi ferries us to the Tronchetto bus station and we meet John-Batista our driver for the next 9 days of traveling throughout Europe.