Discovering Matera: James Bond’s ancient city of secrets

On Global James Bond Day I travelled to Matera. James Bond’s most recent Italian location is every bit as stunning as it is on screen.

As soon as the images of Matera emerged during filming of No Time to Die, I knew I had to go. It looked absolutely remarkable. But planning a trip to explore the spectacular Italian backdrops from Daniel Craig’s final 007 outing requires careful strategy. The ancient stone labyrinth of the Sassi di Matera is notoriously difficult to navigate, with street signs almost entirely absent and low GPS accuracy frequently leading visitors down dead-ends.

Having geolocated the No Time to Die shooting locations ahead of my journey, I mapped out a precise walking itinerary to explore these historic spots efficiently. From the iconic squares used for the DB5 machine-gun doughnut sequence to the narrow steps where Bond executed the massive motorcycle jump, this travel guide details exactly how to navigate Matera’s complex geography to find the real-world sets within a 24-hour visit.

The limestone landscape gives it a barren, otherworldly look, and the cave dwellings carved out by past inhabitants are extraordinary. No wonder it became a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1993 and a magnet for filmmakers. As Europe’s oldest continuously inhabited settlement, and the third oldest in the world,  Matera may have been occupied for as long as 9,000 years.

Although I’d filed it in my mental bucket list, I hadn’t actually done anything about it and presumed it would be expensive and hard to reach. So it was pure luck that I searched Google Maps for directions to Matera from home. I was astounded to discover I could get  a direct flight from Girona to Bari in Italy. And from there Matera was a 45 minute drive.

So that’s how, on 5th October 2025, my wife and I landed in Italy. We hadn’t deliberately planned to travel on James Bond Day and only realised the date’s significance after booking. September would be too hot, and the last flight of the season was 19th October, so we narrowed it down to two dates to fit with work commitments. By happy accident we decided on 5th October.

The plan was simple – fly to Bari, then rental car to Matera for an afternoon and morning exploring Matera’s Bond locations. We’d finally visit Gravina before returning to Bari and our flight home the next evening. Hectic, but doable – game on!

An early start to James Bond Day

By the time my alarm went off at 5:30, I’d already been awake for half an hour. After a quick breakfast I roused a bleary-eyed mastiff for a pre-dawn circuit of the neighbourhood, then a 20 minute drive to the airport. Girona Airport is pretty quiet at the best of times, so security is a breeze, and we were soon at our  gate as the day finally broke.

I’d geolocated all the Matera shooting locations in early 2022 so had a pretty clear idea what we’d visit. Most are within, or near, the area known as the Sassi di Matera. In the early 1950s this area was still a cave house slum, considered the shame of Italy. The houses had no running water, and families shared the living space with their animals. Change came in 1952 – the same year Ian Fleming wrote Casino Royale – when the inhabitants began to be rehomed.

No Time to Die plays fast and loose with Matera’s geography so visiting locations in film order would be impractical, so I designed 3 itineraries using Google Maps. We’d start close to our hotel and perform a circuit, grabbing lunch somewhere along the way.  Later we’d head to No Time to Die’s night-time locations then fully indulge in the local food and wine. Next morning we’d visit the remaining Matera locations then head to the airport via Vesper’s tomb and, finally, Gravina.

Exploring Matera

After landing half an hour early we were soon queuing for a car as the skies opened up. Despite having prebooked weeks before, this took well over an hour. Finally, after checking into our accommodation, we were out and about in Matera on Global James Bond Day!

Our first walk would follow in the footsteps of the most iconic scenes from No Time to Die’s Matera sequence. Hopefully it would also help us get our bearings in the Sassi’s maze of narrow passageways. Starting in Piazza Vittorio Veneto, we got our first look down over the Sassi from one of the city’s numerous viewpoints. We were instantly smitten.

Walk 1: from doughnuts and bike jumps to arrivederci

The first location was Piazza San Giovanni, named after the square’s 13th century church. In the film the church is behind the Aston Martin DB5 after it’s rammed by the Range Rover. This scene, with Bond using the front-mounted machine guns as he doughnuts the DB5, featured prominently during the film’s promotion and is probably No Time to Die’s most iconic moment. Not everything is real though. There’s no sign of the bell tower from where the camera looks down on the stricken Aston Martin.

Piazza San Giovanni was the location of one of No Time to Die’s most iconic scenes

Like Bond and Madeleine, we reached the square along Via San Biagio from Piazza Vittorio Venetto. The Range Rover enters from the opposite direction, where the DB5 later exits the square then continues for around 50 metres.

However – movie geography – in the very next shot they are heading back towards Piazza Vittorio Veneto. If you have the time you might want to visit the church and museum located in the square.

Next was Piazza Duomo and the cathedral that dominates the Sassi skyline. It’s here that Bond makes the bike jump into the square, but on the way we wanted to stop at the steps Bond rides up after taking Primo’s bike. And this is where we learnt just how tricky navigating the Sassi can be.

Usually Google Maps works perfectly, but in the maze of the Sassi it constantly warned “Low GPS accuracy”. We would head off on one route only to realise – as our location jumped on the display – we weren’t on the right path at all. While we weren’t exactly lost, the lack of street signs meant we weren’t entirely sure where we were either and repeatedly we ventured along a passageway only to turn around. But finally we found the steps where Bond rides to the top and jumps a low wall.

In No Time to Die, Bond rides Primo’s bike up these steps toward the camera, then continues all the way to the top.

If you watch the film carefully you may notice the filmmakers built ramps when the bike goes up or down steps. Here it’s right in the middle of the steps, but sometimes on one side. Considering how much CGI was used in No Time to Die, including the removal of tyre marks from the chase sequence, I’m surprised these remained. From here we easily reached the cathedral – after all, it’s pretty obvious – and stopped for a quick bite in a local bakery.

Matera’s cathedral is the highest point in the Sassi

The cathedral dates from the 13th century and is built on the highest point in Matera. From here you get a glorious view out over all the stone of the Sassi. Also in the square is Hotel Palazzo Gatini, where Daniel Craig and other cast and crew stayed during filming.

The view from the cathedral

The bike jump was done from Via Gradoni Duomo, as Bond rides towards the cathedral. He rides up a stone embankment – actually a ramp built for the film disguised to look like stone – and lands in the middle of the square before taking off up the steps of Salita Castelvecchio.

After the cathedral it was a fairly easy walk down towards Via Fiorentini. We were heading for the bottom of Via D’Addozio, where Bond takes a sharp right in the Aston and almost runs into a flock of sheep.

Headed right to left, Bond takes a hard right here. Almost immediately his path is blocked by sheep

We continued up the incline of Via D’Addozio to where the sheep emerge onto the road. As we looked out over the Sassi again a helicopter noisily circled the town. We then watched as it hovered over the ravine as a figure on a line descended. Search and rescue, or location filming? I have no idea.

This is Bond and Madeleine’s first view of Matera

Continuing along Via D’Addozio, we eventually arrived at the convent of San Agostino. It’s on the road here that Bond and Madeleine emerge from a tunnel and we get our first view of Matera. The tunnel doesn’t exist, and nor does the stone bridge over the ravine seen in the film, but you get a phenomenal view of the Sassi from there.

Bond drives towards this point then corners as they leave Matera

After that was the road on which Bond drives at high speed as they leave Matera for the station. From Via XX Septembre merges onto Via Stigliani then takes a hard right onto Via Giuseppe Gattini. But the shot in which they arrive at the station was filmed miles away in Sapri.

On our way back to the hotel we passed Ristorante Alle Fornaci, which hosted the No Time to Die wrap party. The entire walk, 2 km on paper, turned out to be 7km in total.

Walk 2: Matera at night

Considerably refreshed after a shower and a half hour nap, we ventured back out onto the streets of Matera. Walking down Via del Corso and onto Via Ridola we passed the magnificent 18th century Church of Purgatory, with its skull and crossbones embellishments. Our first stop was going to be Belvedere Piazzetta Pascoli, the viewpoint where they built the hotel room set in the film, and the point from which Madeleine looks out over the illuminated Sassi.

Although we’d planned on arriving in daylight, the sun was beginning to set as we arrived. The plan was to visit some other nearby locations before looping back later.  But once again Google Maps gave us several false starts as we tried to navigate the labyrinth of the Sassi.

Bond drives the DB5 down these steps. They are unfeasibly narrow

The first stop was Vico Leonardo, where Bond drives the DB5 down the steps after encountering the sheep. Even when we reached the right place, I wasn’t entirely convinced though as the steps look much too narrow for a car. Little wonder the paintwork along the entire right hand side of the DB5 is damaged. While that wasn’t straightforward to find, the next location was easy.

After arriving in Matera, Bond parks the DB5. This is at the bottom of Via Bruno Buozzi, just off Piazza San Pietro Caveoso and below the church of Santa Maria di Idris. Built into the large rock that overlooks the ravine, the church is an icon of Matera.

After first arriving in Matera, Bond leaves his car with the valet

Bond leaves the car with a valet before they head off the the hotel. This is also where Bond collects the Aston the following morning, after getting back to the hotel on Primo’s bike.

They get to the hotel along the Via Muro, with a porter carrying their cases – a wise move given the struggles we saw people have with their luggage in the Sassi – and as you get higher the views get ever better.

Bond and Madeleine walk along Via Muro to their hotel

At the very top they turn left, to the hotel entrance. There is not hotel here precisely, although the 4-star Palazzo del Duca Matera is nearby.

Bond notices the bonfires in squares and people carrying candles.

“What are they burning?” he asks the porter.

“Secrets, wishes, letting go of the past. Getting rid of old things, in come the new,” he is told.

The bonfires are a long-standing local tradition in Matera, although not in August and September when filming took place. Each year on the evening of 18th March, towns across southern Italy mark St Joseph’s Day with the Falò di San Giuseppe.

From Via Muro we were a couple of minutes from the cathedral again, and from there we walked back to the Belvedere Piazzetta Pascoli for the night time view over the Sassi.

The Sassi at night. This is from the square above the hotel room set was built

The night time view of the Sassi di Matera is every bit as beautiful as in No Time to Die.

But that view is impossible from any hotel in town. The filmmakers constructed a platform below Belvedere Piazzetta Pascoli on which the hotel room set was built. It’s from there that Madeleine looks out over the illuminated Sassi. If you visit Matera, this is one thing you absolutely must do. It’s a popular spot though and was quite crowded when we were there.

Afterwards we found a restaurant specialising in local dishes. We had high hopes but the food was unremarkable. Finally, we continued back to our hotel for a well needed sleep. We’d walked another 4.25 km during the evening.

Walk 3: from the car chase to Primo losing an eye

The next morning I luxuriated in bed for quite a while after waking at 6. When my alarm went off at 7:30 I made a coffee and we got ourselves ready for breakfast, which was served at a local café.  After grey skies and drizzle on the first day we were glad to see clear blue skies. But it was also a little gusty.

By 9 am we’d checked out and were back in Piazza Vittorio Venetto for another view over the Sassi. We then took a leisurely walk down to Belvedere Piazetta Pascoli before heading to our first stop.

Piazza San Pietro Caveoso is on the edge of the gorge with a church on one side. Bond drives into the square immediately after departing the hotel but, with a SPECTRE car heading towards him, he spins the DB5 and exits at high speed onto Via Madonna delle Virtù.

San Pietro Caveoso

The square is overlooked by a large rock, where you’ll find the church of Santa Maria di Idris built into the caves. It’s worth the small entrance fee to see both this 13th century church, which is tiny, and go through a passageway to a second church also built into the caves. Outside the views of the town and across the ravine are spectacular.

The rock church: Santa Maria di Idris

The next stop was Bond and Madeleine’s hotel. When Bond returns there on Primo’s bike it’s in a slightly different location – Via Potito – from when they arrived. There’s also a real hotel here, Albergo Palazzo Viceconte.

Bond returns to the hotel on Primo’s bike

We reached it from Via Madonna delle Virtù, which involved a climb and uncountable steps. But since it can be easily reached from the cathedral square, it would have made more sense to have included it the first walk. Afterwards we descended back to Via Madonna delle Virtù and followed the route Bond drives in the DB5 for a short distance.

After jumping from the bridge, Bond emerges from stone tunnels just here and continues up the steps

Another detour took us to find the spot where Bond, after the bridge jump, emerges through a wooden door and continues up the steps.

Afterwards we stopped at the Casa Grotta Narrante, one of the various cave houses you can visit. Like the rock church, the entrance fee is small and you can see it all in 10 or 15 minutes. Definitely worth doing to understand what the Sassi was like in the mid-20th century.

Continuing to the bottom of Via Madonna delle Virtù, we reached the same hairpin bend seen in that very first shot of Matera and went up the steps. A short distance further on we climbed a second set of steps.

At the top of these steps Bond knocks Primo off his bike…

At the top we turned left and continued along towards the corner. This is where Bond arrives after exiting the wooden door. Back at the top of the steps, Bond knocks Primo off his bike. Then, after Bond bashes his head against the stonework and his bionic eye pops out, Bond rides the bike down the steps.

…and bashes his head against this wall

We had now done all the locations in Matera itself, adding another 5 km to our total distance walked. We finished our morning in Matera with a relaxed stroll, including another visit to “doughnut square”.  All that was left to do was get lunch. After our experience the previous night we looked for a pizzeria a little distance from the tourist area and found exactly that.

Vesper’s tomb

Afterwards we collected our luggage and returned to the car. With two and a half hours or so to get to the airport, we had time to stop at the site of Vesper’s tomb across the ravine, and then on to the bridge at Gravina.

The view of Matera from the location of Vesper’s tomb

The cemetery in No Time to Die was constructed for filming. In fact two sets were required, one across the ravine from Matera and another near the bridge in Gravina. The site of Vesper’s tomb is found at the first, reached along a mile of dirt track after exiting Matera itself.

In the area around are a handful of caves and a church. From here you get a view of the Sassi across the ravine. It’s pretty quiet and we only encountered a single Italian couple while there.

Gravina

Our final stop was Gravina in Puglia, where the bridge sequence of No Time to Die was filmed.

The bridge at Gravina is, in fact, an aquaduct. The wall is higher on one side because it contains a channel carrying water

Originally we’d planned on spending a couple of hours to explore the mediaeval town as well as the bridge, but time just didn’t allow it.

We reached the bridge from a car park on the opposite side of the ravine to the town. It’s easy to park and the bridge is easily reached. As we were leaving we encountered the Italian couple again.

“Ah, the James Bond tour”, said my wife was we passed them.

Travel tips

Travel: We flew to Bari airport from Girona. From there Matera is around 50 minutes by car.

Accommodation: While we were expecting a hotel, we actually booked a guesthouse just outside the Sassi. If you book accommodation within the Sassi then travel light. Several times we encountered people really struggling with their cases on the steps.

• Al Primo Vico
• Palazzo del Duca Matera
• Albergo Palazzo Viceconte
• Hotel Palazzo Gatini

Car hire:  This was the first time I’ve used Goldcar. It’s also the last. We queued for well over an hour then got an Opel Corsa instead of the Jeep I’d booked. By the time we arrived in Matera we were behind schedule.

Getting around: While there are taxis, tourist buses and tuk tuks, much of the Sassi is completely inaccessible by road. We’re used to walking the dog in the hills around us and didn’t find it difficult, but your own level of fitness may be different.

All the Bond sites in a day? We showed you can do all the filming locations within Matera itself within 24 hours. But ideally we’d have spent more time there to explore the Sassi more fully and get lost in the maze of steps and passages. There is a guided tour of the Bond locations, which takes around 2 hours. I doubt it is as thorough as our Bond tour though.

Matera’s James Bond locations: Frequently Asked Questions

Where was No Time to Die filmed in Italy?

The Italian sequences of No Time to Die were primarily filmed in the historic city of Matera, located in the southern region of Basilicata. Additional filming for the pre-title sequence took place at the historic aqueduct bridge in Gravina in Puglia (about 50 minutes away) and the arrival railway station scene was shot in Sapri, Campania.

Can you visit James Bond’s hotel room in Matera?

No, the specific hotel room with the sweeping balcony view where Bond and Madeleine stay does not exist. The filmmakers constructed a temporary, realistic hotel room set on a raised platform just below the Belvedere Piazzetta Pascoli viewpoint. However, luxury accommodations like the nearby Palazzo del Duca Matera offer a very similar, stunning atmospheric view of the Sassi at night.

Where is Vesper Lynd’s tomb located?

The cemetery featuring Vesper Lynd’s tomb was a temporary set built specifically for the film. The exterior view showing Matera across the ravine was shot along a dirt track just outside the city limits, while the immediate close-up shots of the tomb itself were filmed on a secondary set constructed near the bridge in Gravina.

How do you get to the No Time to Die locations from the nearest airport?

The most straightforward route to the No Time to Die filming locations is to fly into Bari International Airport (BRI). From Bari, Matera is a highly accessible 45-to-50-minute drive via rental car or regional transport, making it entirely possible to tour the primary Sassi landmarks within a 24-hour itinerary.