At the beginning of the film
NO TIME TO DIE, James Bond (Daniel Craig, in his final appearance as 007) travels to Matera with his girlfriend Madeleine Swann (Léa Seydoux). In addition to various locations in Italy, filming took place in Norway, England (see
London, England), Scotland and the Faroe Islands. The shooting period, from March to December 2019, lasted almost a year.
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| Matera, 2 July 2025 |
Matera is located in the southern Italian region of Basilicata. One of the world's oldest continuously inhabited cities, it has a history dating back to prehistoric times. It is best known for its rock-cut urban core, which has been designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1993. We arrived in the afternoon on 1 July, planning to explore the city the following day and looking for movie locations.
We did not know that Matera celebrates the Feast of the Madonna della Bruna on 2 July with a procession and crowded festivities all over town. Many streets were cordoned off and public buildings closed, but we still managed to see a lot of Matera.
Filming in Italy took place in September 2019, probably because it is not as hot then as it was during our visit. On 9 September, Daniel Craig and Léa Seydoux posed for photographer Franco Origlia in front of the Sant'Agostino monastery, with Matera in the background, to promote the film.
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| Léa Seydoux and Daniel Craig in Matera, 9 September 2019 |
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| Matera seen from the Sant'Agostino monastery, 1 July 2025 |
Almost the same view can be seen when James and Madeleine drive into Matera on the Via D'Addozio. On the left is the entrance to the Sant'Agostino monastery. For the film, the viewpoint was replaced by what looks like rocks.
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| No Time to Die, 0:08:04 |
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| Entrance Sant'Agostino monastery, Matera, 1 July 2025 |
As the Aston Martin drives on, more of Matera can be seen, including the digitally added bridge. This bridge actually exists and is located in Gravina in Puglia, about 30 kilometres (19 miles) above Matera. See
Gravina di Puglia, Italy for more information about this location.
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| No Time to Die, 0:08:12 |
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| Matera, 1 July 2025 |
James and Madeleine arrive in the early evening at their hotel on Via Bruno Buozzi. The stairs on the right lead to Rione Pianelle. There is no hotel at this location.
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| No Time to Die, 0:08:19 |
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| Via Bruno Buozzi, Matera, 2 July 2025 |
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| Via Bruno Buozzi, Matera, 2 July 2025 |
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| Via Bruno Buozzi, Matera, 2 July 2025 |
To get to their hotel room, James and Madeleine walk on the Via Muro. This location is within walking distance of Via Bruno Buozzi, but there is no hotel here either.
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| No Time to Die, 0:08:33 |
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| Via Muro, Matera, 2 July 2025 |
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| Via Muro, Matera, 2 July 2025 |
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| Via Muro, Matera, 2 July 2025 |
The interior of the hotel was a set at Pinewood Studios in the United Kingdom, with the exception of the scene when Madeleine looks out over the city from the balcony, which was filmed in Matera. The balcony was a set located near Piazza Giovanni Pascoli. A two-minute video from August 2019 about the construction of the hotel façade is available on
YouTube.
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| No Time to Die, 0:10:52 |
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| View from Piazza Giovanni Pascoli, Matera, 2 July 2025 |
The next day, James walks to the cemetery just outside the city to visit the grave of Vesper Lynd (his lover in Casino Royale). As he stands in front of her tomb, an explosion occurs. The cemetery was constructed especially for the film on the southern slope of the Belvedere della Murgia Timone. After filming was completed, all set pieces were removed.
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| No Time to Die, 0:12:39 |
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| View of Matera, 2 July 2025 |
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| No Time to Die, 0:13:42 |
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| Belvedere della Murgia Timone, Matera, 2 July 2025 |
After being attacked, James runs back to the hotel, where Madeleine is still unaware of what has happened. This is the Via Civita.
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| No Time to Die, 0:15:52 |
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| Via Civita, Matera, 2 July 2025 |
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| Via Civita, Matera, 2 July 2025 |
After a struggle with Primo (Dali Benssalah), one of his attackers, James takes his motorbike and continues to the hotel via the steps and narrow alleys of historic Matera. Note that at Via Casale the steps have been given a protective coating to prevent damage.
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| No Time to Die, 0:16:45 |
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| Via Casale, Matera, 2 July 2025 |
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| No Time to Die, 0:16:46 |
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| Via Casale, Matera, 2 July 2025 |
With a spectacular jump, James leaps on Via Tre Corone near number 36.
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| No Time to Die, 0:16:55 |
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| Via Tre Corone, Matera, 2 July 2025 |
After passing Via Gradoni Duomo, where a procession is passing by, James arrives at the entrance of the hotel on Via S. Potito 7; in reality, this is also a hotel, the Palazzo Viceconte.
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| No Time to Die, 0:16:58 |
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| Via Gradoni Dumo, Matera, 2 July 2025 |
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| No Time to Die, 0:17:11 |
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| Via S. Potito, Matera, 2 July 2025 |
James and Madeleine run to the waiting Aston Martin on Via Bruno Buozzi again, but filmed from the other side. In the background, the
restaurant Keiv is visible, where we had a delicious lunch and were able to cool off for a while, as the temperature was approaching 40° C (104° F).
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| No Time to Die, 0:18:09 |
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| Via Bruno Buozzi, Matera, 2 July 2025 |
Before they can leave Matera, James and Madeleine are pursued by Primo and his henchmen. They drive across the Piazza S. Pietro Caveoso and on the Via Madonna delle Virtù.
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| No Time to Die, 0:18:36 |
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| Piazza S. Pietro Caveoso, Matera, 2 July 2025 |
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| No Time to Die, 0:18:45 |
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| Via Madonna delle Virtù, Matera, 2 July 2025 |
A flock of sheep blocks the way. In an attempt to shake off his pursuers, James drops small bombs from the car. Once again Via D'Addozio, near Piazza San Pietro Barisano.
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| No Time to Die, 0:19:50 |
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| Via D'Addozio, Matera, 2 July 2025 |
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| No Time to Die, 0:19:53 |
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| Via D'Addozio, Matera, 2 July 2025 |
The Aston Martin is cornered on the Piazza San Giovanni. The church on the left is the San Giovanni Battista. See
YouTube for an 11-minute report of the making of the chase by motorbike and car through Matera.
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| No Time to Die, 0:20:16 |
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| Piazza San Giovanni, Matera, 1 July 2025 |
In the last scene before the opening credits roll (at 23 minutes!), James puts Madeleine on the train. As the station is in Sapri, which is more than 180 kilometres (112 miles) from Matera, I assumed we would not be visiting this town. However, I had not taken into account that the train journey from Naples to Palermo, which we would be taking a few days later, would go via Sapri. We were able to quickly take a photo from our compartment before the train continued on its way.
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| No Time to Die, 0:23:30 |
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| Sapri train station, 4 July 2025 |
In Matera, we stumbled upon a mural near a car park featuring portraits referring to films and a television show filmed here. I could not find any information about it online, but thanks to Google Maps, I know that the mural was not there in April 2025. I recognised these people, from left to right: Gal Gadot as Diana in
Wonder Woman, Pier Paolo Pasolini - director of
Il Vangelo secondo Matteo (English title
The Gospel according to St. Matthew), Jim Caviezel as Jesus in
The Passion of the Christ, Daniel Craig as James Bond in
No Time to Die, Vanessa Scalera as Imma Tataranni in the television series
Imma Tataranni: Sostituto procuratore, and Jack Huston as Judah Ben-Hur in
Ben Hur. The address of the car park is Recinto XX Settembre.
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| Car park Recinto XX Settembre, Matera, 1 July 2025 |
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| Car park Recinto XX Settembre, Matera, 1 July 2025 |
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| Car park Recinto XX Settembre, Matera, 1 July 2025 |
Photo Léa Seydoux and Daniel Craig © Franco Origlia/Getty Images Entertainment
Screenshots © Danjaq, LLC/Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios Inc.
