How many of you are James Bond fans? I'll bet most of you are!! That's why this month I'll be interrupting my series on "why Lake Garda is a great place for anyone", to talk about the filming of the new James Bond movie that went on at the lake last month.

The filming of "Quantum of Solace" has been taking place in a number of locations, 11 days of which was filmed at Lake Garda. Cast and crew started filming there on the 14th of April...and it coincided with a series of events celebrating the life and work of Fleming (1908-1964), who used his own experiences in the British naval intelligence service as the background for his spy novels.

Let's get back to the movie though! Apparently, the route from the Gardesana road to Tremosine (the "gorge" that Winston Churchill called the eighth wonder of the world...did you know that?), the road from the Tremosine port to Limone, and a stretch between Cape Tempesta and Malcesine were used for the chase scenes of James Bond's famous Aston Martin.

The above photo is of one of the towns
where filming took place... Limone

And you may have already heard about the drama surrounding the filming there! There were 3 accidents in just 5 days!! Here's what happened, quoted directly from the Telegraph.co.uk website (dated 28/4/08):

(Start Quote) Filming on the new James Bond film in Italy has been suspended after three accidents hit the "cursed" production in five days.

The latest incident left Aris Comninos, an "experienced" Greek stuntman, in a coma after his car collided with a lorry and then crashed into a wall. His co-driver, Bruno Verdirosi, was also treated in hospital but is not said to be in a serious condition.

It follows another accident involving the stuntmen on Saturday. An Aston Martin used in the filming was driven into Lake Garda earlier this week.

Mr Comninos suffered a fractured cranium during the filming of a dramatic 15-minute car chase which opens the movie, which is titled The Quantum of Solace.

He played a villain chasing James Bond's Aston Martin DB5 in an Alfa Romeo 159 along a curving road by the shore of Lake Garda.

He was airlifted after the crash to the nearby Borgo Trento hospital in Verona, where his condition is said to be stable.

"He is doing as well as can be expected," said a spokesman for his family. An investigation has been launched into the accident by the Italian authorities.

Mr Comninos worked on a previous Bond movie, Tomorrow Never Dies, and has also worked on Saving Private Ryan and The Bourne Ultimatum, for which he won a Screen Actors Guild Award.

Meanwhile a spokesman for Eon Productions, the makers of the Bond movies, said he did not know if filming would restart at Lake Garda. The accident occurred on the penultimate day of the shoot.

The two stuntmen had already been to hospital after an accident the previous Saturday while they were shooting the same scene. One of them was given 15 stitches to his hand but was immediately discharged, according to local Italian newspapers.

The stunt director of the film's second unit, Gary Powell, was allegedly unhappy with the results of Saturday's shoot and had ordered the sequence to be shot again on Wednesday.

The Eon spokesman said suggestions that the film was jinxed were "ridiculous". He said Eon intended to wait for the results of the investigation.

Daniel Craig, who plays James Bond, was not on the set at the time. Nor was the overall director of the film, Marc Foster.

More than 40 stuntmen have been working in Italy since last August on the new film, which also includes scenes from the Palio horse race in Siena.

Earlier this week, one of the five Aston Martin DB5s used by the filmmakers was wrecked after swerving off the road and plunging into Lake Garda.

The £134,000 car was destroyed in the accident, but Fraser Dunn, the 29-year-old driver, managed to break free and swim away unharmed. He was fined by Italian police for speeding.

The Aston Martin driven into Lake Garda is irrepairable.

The Eon spokesman said: "That was nothing to do with the production. That car was being driven by an Aston Martin engineer to a press event." (End Quote)

Photo: Tignale...another area where filming took place

Main Events

You'll find many things going on throughout the year, including art exhibitions, festivals, wine and food tastings, theatre events and sports events.

If you'd like to know about any of these events in particular for this month, then please contact us. I used to try to list some of them, but there are far too many! We will, however, focus on the main events that are going on this month. Let's take a look now at the main Events for the month of May....

Bike Festival - International Mountain Bike Meeting Riva del Garda, 01-04/05/2008

Arcobonsai - Exhibition and congress Arco, 02-04/05/2008

Mille Miglia - Old cars tour Brescia, 15-18/05/2008

Salogolosa - Enogastronomic event Salò, 21/05/2008

Outdoor days - 3 days of outdoor activities Garda Trentino, 23-25/05/2008

Surfestival - The world's biggest windsurf event Torbole, 23-25/05/2008

There are, of course, all the usual markets that are definitely worth going to. To find out more about when and where they are, click here.

Marcus and Sylvia