The Illustrious James Bond, the fictional British MI6 Agent 007, is no stranger to Italy. He’s been “on assignment” in Venice, Sardinia, and, of course, in the Dolomite Mountains!
For Your Eyes Only – the twelfth in the James Bond spy series, and the fifth to star Roger Moore as James Bond – prominently features the Cortina d’Ampezzo ski resort in the 1981 film. Many of the winter facilities in Cortina d’Ampezzo were built for the 1956 Winter Olympics – the first ever Winter Olympics to be televised. From Bond’s meeting with his arch enemy at the Olympic Ice Stadium, the Via dello Stadio, to the famous ski chase that ensues down Cortina’s Olympic Ski Jump and on the Olympic Bobsleigh Run, you can’t not recognize Cortina in this film!
Cortina enjoys a reputation for great skiing in winter. Winter snow usually begins to accumulate in December, and lasts through March, and sometimes even April. That said, you may notice the slopes are not as snowy as you would have hoped in For Your Eyes Only. The producers felt that way too! The Dolomites portion of the movie was filmed in Cortina during the first two months of 1981, but by the time they started filming it wasn’t snowing yet. The producers ended up paying for trucks to bring snow from nearby mountains, which was then dumped in the city’s streets! Certainly not your average winter here in the snow-laden Dolomites, where the snowfall in Cortina ranges from 100-200 inches per year!
During the Cortina segment of the film, Bond stays at the five-star Miramonti Majestic Grand Hotel, the same hotel used in the original Pink Panther (1963) starring Peter Sellers. Built in the early 1900s, the hotel is just 5 minutes from the historic center of Cortina d’Ampezzo, where its renowned pedestrian walk-street the Corso d’Italia is frequented by movie stars, holiday travelers, and locals alike. Located in a beautiful valley on top of a hill, the hotel is nestled just beneath the mountain Sorapiss (3,205m / 10,515′), creating the picture-postcard setting of this film. Watch for the scene where Bond looks out from the balcony of a room with the wonderful view of the Dolomites and the Ampezzo Valley!
For Your Eyes Only (1981)
Featuring Roger Moore, Carole Bouquet, Topol, and Julian Glover.
Check out some of our favorite winter trips in Cortina d’Ampezzo!
- Luxury Hotel-to-Hotel Ski Safari
- Christmas & New Year Ski Experience in the Dolomites
- Gourmet Ski Safari in the Land of Flavors
