I’ve written about foot chase in ‘Quantum of Solace’ that was filmed in Siena, Italy already (‘Quantum of Solace’ in Siena, Italy), but I skipped the sequence with James Bond jumping from one balcony to another. It was difficult to find exact filming location of that sequence, because it turned out that balconies seen in the movie were built just for the purpuse of filming. I’ve found only one existing balcony (see photos below) above intersection of Via del Rialto and Vicolo del Vannello streets. It was the one seen in background behind 007 chasing Craig Mitchell. All other balconies from the movie were built on the left from that one.
In the next photo you can see Via del Rialto with Torre del Mangia at Piazza del Campo in background. While taking this photo I was standing right below the place where the balcony from the movie was built.
In that filming location there is a small square at intersection of Via del Rialto and Vicolo del Vannello, so the distance to jump would be too big even for 007. To make it a narrow street as it was visible in the movie, artificial buildings had been built.
In that sequence Daniel Craig was doubled by stuntman Bobby Holland Hanton, Craig Mitchell was played by Glenn Foster. It was filmed by stunt cameraman Diz Sharpe.
Visit LOCATIONS GALLERY on top of the page to see locations photos compared with movie scenes.
After frantic car chase at the beginning of ‘Quantum of Solace’ James Bond (Daniel Craig) drove to Siena in Tuscany, Italy. He entered the mysterious tunnel. He stopped the car and opened the trunk. There was Mr. White (Jesper Christensen) tied up. James Bond said to him: ‘It’s time to get out’. Right after that the film intro with ‘Another Way to Die’ song by Jack White and Alicia Keys appeared on the screen.
James Bond arriving to Siena in Aston Martin DBS was filmed at Chiesa di San Giuseppe located at the junction of Via di Fontanella, Via Giovanni Dupre and Via Sant’Agata. 007 drove uphill by the Via di Fontanella and after driving under the archway he drove down the Via Giovanni Dupre in the direction of Piazza del Campo. As you may see in photos below he drove up to the one-way street, however the one-way street sign was not seen in the movie. To film the scene, the camera was attached to special wires, so it could be moved high above the roofs from the street level.
– Chiesa di San Giuseppe in Siena.
– Chiesa di San Giuseppe in Siena.
To look at historical city center over the archway at Chiesa di San Giuseppe (as in photo below) you may walk up the Via Sant’Agata to the square at Sant’Agostino church.
The entrance to the tunnel was filmed at Piazzetta Della Paglietta square located at Via Salicotto street (see photo below). Next photo of Piazzetta Della Paglietta was taken from Vicolo della Manna right above the entrance to the tunnel. The door to the tunnel is different than in the film as you may see in next photo. Nowadays it would be difficult to drive in the tunnel as James Bond in Aston Martin DBS due to number of stuff belonging to one caffe in the neighbourhood. There was MI6 safe house at the end of the tunnel. M (Judi Dench) was waiting there for 007 and his prisoner. Mr. White told them, that the organization of which he was a member, had people everywhere. It turned out that M’s bodyguard, Craig Mitchell (Glenn Foster), was one of them. He tried to kill M, to save Mr. White. James Bond followed him in pursuit in underground aqueducts, Piazza del Campo during famous Palio and on the rooftops of historical buildings. It finished inside the campanile.
– Piazzetta Della Paglietta and Via Salicotto street in Siena.
– Piazzetta Della Paglietta.
– Tunnel at the Piazzetta Della Paglietta.
– Tunnel at the Piazzetta Della Paglietta.
The beginning and ending of that foot chase was filmed in the studio where underground aqueducts and interior of the campanile were built. Scenes at Piazza del Campo and on the rooftops were filmed on location in Siena.
– Piazza del Campo in Siena.
Six month before the beginning of principal photography the crew got permission to film real Palio. They used 14 cameras located in different places at Piazza del Campo to capture shots that were later used in ‘Quantum of Solace’.
– Piazza del Campo in Siena.
In May 2008 the film unit returned to Siena to film foot chase in the city. There were 300 extras selected from 1500 candidates on Piazza del Campo when James Bond and Craig Mitchell running through the crowd were filmed.
Bond and Mitchell ran out of the square through an open gate. It is the entrance to Museo Civico in Palazzo Pubblico at Piazza del Campo.
– Palazzo Pubblico at Piazza del Campo in Siena.
– Palazzo Pubblico at Piazza del Campo.
– Palazzo Pubblico at Piazza del Campo.
They ran into the courtyard just behind the gate. Standing in the courtyard it is worth looking up at the sky and the tower called Torre del Mangia
– Courtyard of the Palazzo Pubblico at Piazza del Campo.
– Courtyard of the Palazzo Pubblico at Piazza del Campo.
To film the chase of the rooftops, two kilometers of special cables for safety and camera support were used. Cables were suspended on arms of four giant cranes. Each crane weighted two hundred tons. It was necessary to make first geological investigation. There were holes deep at about 10-20 meters made in the ground and filled with cement. It took three months to complete this.
During the chase, James Bond jumped on the balcony, walked into the apartment and jumped from the window on the roof of the bus. The scene with the bus was filmed at Via Pantaneto. Daniel Craig made a jump from the window that is visible in next photos (second row from the roof, first window from the right). The driver stopped the bus when he heard James Bond jumping on the roof. When 007 was rolling on the bus,Via Pantaneto street was seen in background.
– Via Pantaneto in Siena
Bond climbed the gutter to continue the chase on rooftops. It was the gutter on the left at the arch above Via Pantaneto (see next photo). In the next photo you can see the window from which Bond jumped on the bus and the gutter he climbed.
After the chase James Bond returned to MI6 safe house. When he turned left from Via Salicotto to Piazzetta Della Paglietta, the building visible in the last photo was seen in background.
Visit LOCATIONS GALLERY on top of the page to see locations photos compared with movie scenes.
Sources: – ‘Bond on Location’, dir. Bob Done, Special Treats Productions, 2008 – ‘James Bond. Szpieg ktorego kochamy’ Michal Grzesiek, Wydawnictwo Bukowy Las 2011
JAMES BOND 