“Ah, Venice!” - Indiana “Indy” Jones
While filming on location might be considered to be a bit inconvenient these days, Venice was seemingly beautiful enough for numerous film productions to make their way to Italy’s famous “floating city” over the past few decades, and we are not talking about small productions here: From classics to billion dollar franchises, seemingly every kind of movie wanted to include some shots of the city’s countless canals, old buildings and Gondolas at some point. Let’s take a look at some examples!
Spider-Man: Far From Home (2019)
The most recent movie on our list does exactly what it says on the tin: Peter Parker a.k.a. “Spider-Man” is on a field trip throughout Europe, taking him to multiple beautiful countries like Spain, Austria, the Czech Republic and of course Venice, Italy, where he arrives at “Marco Polo Airport”.
Following the arrival of Peter and his friends, we get a shot that you just HAVE to have in a movie set in Venice: The iconic “Canal Grande”. It doesn’t get any more “Venice” than that, does it? Well, the next two locations would certainly like to have a word about that! The “Piazza San Marco” (Venice’s famous public square) and the “Rialto Bridge” catch Spidey’s attention next, with the latter serving as the backdrop for the movie’s first big fight scene. Good choice!
Next up is the belltower of the “Santa Maria Formosa” Church, which is knocked over in the movie, but only due to Hollywood’s incredible CGI artists doing a good job. You can and definitely SHOULD visit the fully intact tower when you come to Venice, it’s a beauty! Last but not least, Peter’s Venice trip ends with a shot of Venice’s former shipyard area, the “Arsenal”, as well as the “Ponte de l’Arsenale” bridge. Overall, a trip worthy of a friendly neighborhood Spider-Man!
Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade (1989)
Venice during the year 1938 is where a good chunk of the final installment of the original “Indiana Jones” trilogy, starring Harrison Ford, takes place. Just like in “Spider-Man: Far From Home” 30 years later, this movie includes shots of the “Canal Grande", as well as the “Piazza San Marco”. However, Indy visits some places that Spidey unfortunately missed out on, like the “Ponte dei Pugni” or “Bridge of Fists”, which literally got its name from frequent fist fights between two rivaling factions that took place here back in the day. Don’t worry, it’s safe to come here now!
Probably the most famous scene of this movie set in Venice takes place at the “Chiesa di San Barnaba” church. However, that is not what it’s called in the movie! Instead, the church’s exterior is used to portray an imaginary library, housing the entrance to some really cool but equally imaginary underground passages. After making his way through these passages, Indy pops out of a manhole located at “Campo San Barnaba” square, where the church is located, and utters the legendary phrase: “Ah, Venice!”.
Classic!
Casino Royale (2006)
Last but not least: The first James Bond movie of the Daniel Craig era, and arguably one of the best entries of the whole franchise! Venice received the honor of becoming Bond’s playground for the full final 30 minutes of this incredible action blockbuster. In true James Bond fashion, Daniel Craig manages to explore Venice in record time… making a huge mess while doing so!
Instead of describing it all to you here in text form, we would love to put YOU into the shoes of Agent 007! How are we going to do that, you ask? Well, at Unfold Travel, we offer a special tour that will allow you to visit the exact same spots in Venice that James Bond admired just a few years ago… just without all the annoying stuff like destruction, violence and loud explosions!
Sounds interesting? Then feel free to contact us for further information on this thrilling tour, we can’t wait to see you!
