ITALY – Rome, Villa di Fiorano // Spectre (2015)
Villa di Fiorano is one of Rome’s finest estates. Bond spent one night here with Lucia Sciarra – but to see the villa, you’ll have to have the necessary wherewithal.
Why Bond was here
After the death of M in “Skyfall”, James Bond (Daniel Craig) follows some breadcrumbs to uncover a sinister organization called “SPECTRE”. Having killed Marco Sciarra, the hitman of the terror group in Mexico, Bond then travels to Rome – hoping to collect more intel at the terrorists funeral.
He follows the hitman’s widow, beautiful Lucia Sciarra (Monica Bellucci) to her lush villa south of Rome and persuades her to help him. Before sharing some champagne and kisses with her.
How you gonna get there
The place is Villa di Fiorano in the south of Rome. It is hidden behind cypress trees at historic Via Appia Antica. The Appia was one of the earliest and most important Roman roads and connected ancient Rome with the rest of its empire.
Nowadays the Appia Antica is no big road anymore but a cobblestone walkway outside the city. It is not that easy to come here by public transport – we highly recommend hiring a taxi or driving yourself. But if you want to find your way, best head by train, local bus 720 or the Fiumicino bus to nearby Ciampino airport. From there it’s about an 1,5 kilometers walk.
Good to know
Don’t expect to just enter Villa di Fiorano. The property is owned by a rich wine producer and very exclusive. He doesn’t need the place for himself, so he rents it for weddings, parties or movie productions. The famous Italian movie “La Grande Belezza” was filmed here, as well as numerous TV series.
As Villa di Fiorano is an event location, it is not actually furbished. The painted walls and beautiful mirrors are there, as well as some statues and sofas – but a lot of the cozy furniture Lucia Sciarra had in her villa you have to add in your imagination. But what is as magnificent as the villa itself is the fountain pool outside the home.
Here are some impressions from our visit to Villa di Fiorano from “SPECTRE”:
Being at Villa di Fiorano doesn’t come cheap: the basic rent for a day is 6000 Euros, the estate manager told us, catering and extras add up. Also be aware to book way in advance, especially if you want the place between May and October: When we were able to visit the stunning villa in late summer 2019, 25 weekends for 2020 were already booked in for weddings.
Villa di Fiorano really is a special place – and a highly coveted one. When we had the chance to visit the estate, the remnants of the last party were still visible. On the lush grass and in the living room were two ping pong tables, the table tennis balls rolling on the floor. Our daughter happily played with them while we imagined Bond and Lucia having a ping pong match right here the night before.
© HuntingBond (1,3) © 2015 Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios Inc., Danjaq, LLC, Eon Productions, and Columbia Pictures, Inc. (2)