"Siena, August 16 - The latest incarnation of James Bond, brooding British actor Daniel Craig, joined thousands of other spectators on Thursday for Siena's Palio, as filming got underway on the next 007 flick.
Fourteen cameras were placed around the square to capture the hectic bareback horse race, which will be included in the 22nd Bond movie slated for release in November 2008.
Although Craig is in Siena for the next few days, he will not appear in footage of the actual race, which will be interspersed with action sequences shot at a later date.
Addressing the traditional pre-event press conference, Siena Mayor Maurizio Cenni stressed that filming would in no way interfere with the race.
"We have imposed extremely rigid restrictions on the production, and there will be no crossover between the race and the action scenes," he said.
"This will allow us to check the contents and editing afterwards, intervening if necessary".
In addition to banning helicopter shooting of the race, the town council has also specified that no footage of injured animals or people may be used in the final sequence.
Although the storyline is being kept under tight wraps, Italian press reports claim the Palio will serve as a backdrop to a scene in which Bond chases the villain across Siena's rooftops by foot.
British daily The Times said the chase will be the climax of the film, although this has not been confirmed.
The production team will return to the Tuscan hilltown at the start of next year, for filming in Siena and the surrounding countryside.
The rooftop chase is reportedly part of a longer scene, in which Craig pursues the villain through Siena's narrow, cobbled streets before later descending into an underground network of tunnels, known as "bottini".
Although this is not the first time a Bond movie has been shot in Italy - the last film, for example, featured some spectacular footage of Venice - this is the first time 007 has visited Siena.
Mayor Cenni, however, was adamant Siena and its renowned horse race were not touting for the extra publicity the film is bound to generate.
"Fortunately, my town neither needs nor wants to promote the Palio, an event that we stage for ourselves alone," he said.
"Our guests are naturally welcome, but the Palio serves no commercial purpose and has no need to advertise - it is an authentic festival for the people".BAREBACK HORSE RACE DATES BACK TO 13TH CENTURY.
The Palio dates back to the 13th century and takes place twice a year, on July 2 and August 16.
Jockeys from ten of Siena's 17 neighbourhoods, or contrade, compete in a 90-second bareback race around the city's main square.
The only rule in the competition is that the jockeys mustn't grab the reins of their adversaries. That means whipping a rival's horse or even knocking a jockey off his steed is allowed.
Victory goes to the first horse to complete three laps of the square, even if it arrives at the finishing post without a rider."
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