James Bond is coming to Puglia this summer

The cast of the 25th James Bond film will brave the summer heat to shoot for two months in a dramatically beautiful Puglia town this August and September.

Director Cary Fukunaga will film the as-yet-untitled movie, known so far as “Bond 25”, starring Daniel Craig as 007, at Gravina di Puglia in the province of Bari.

Gravina di Puglia. Photo: Depositphotos

“After recently hosting the latest films of Sergio Rubini, Matteo Garrone and Checco Zalone, we'll now find ourselves face to face with James Bond, an unprecedented opportunity for which we have been working for months,” Gravina di Puglia Mayor Alessio Valente told Italian media.

The town is famous for its stunning two-level Roman bridge, running across the gravina, or small ravine, that the town overlooks, and other important sights include the church of the Madonna della Stella.

Filming began in Matera, in the neighouring region of Basilicata. Scenes for the movie were shot in the city's famous Sassi – the millennia-old cave dwellings that are protected by Unesco as part of the world's heritage.

The Sassi di Matera were ne of the film's first shooting locations. Photo: Clare Speak/The Local

007 is well-travelled in Italy by now, having had memorable escapades over the years in Venice, Rome, Siena, by Lakes Como and Garda, in the mountains of Cortina D'Ampezzo and on the Sardinian coast.

But this is first time the secret agent has headed to the far south of the mainland.

The film, set for release in early 2020, has a cast including Rami Malek, Naomie Harris, Lèa Seydoux and Ben Whishaw.

READ ALSO: James Bond's best Italian moments