Wednesday 23 September 2015

007 Travelers interview: Admiral Hotel Milano / Edward Coffrini Dell'Orto


Edward Coffrini Dell'Orto
Who: Edward Coffrini Dell'Orto
Hotel Owner/Manager
Where: Admiral Hotel Milano, Italy
When: 24 July 2015

007 Travelers stayed one night in Admiral Hotel Milano in Italy and met the hotel owner Edward Coffrini Dell'Orto who is a huge fan of James Bond!


How long have you been in this hotel business?
Since 1972. My grandfather build up the hotel and at the beginning two Italian Bond girls, Daniela Bianchi and Luciana Paluzzi (Tatiana Romanova and Fiona Volpe) were guests in the hotel. I was too young and didn’t even knew about James Bond.

Then in 77 was a very particular year because at the desk of the reception my Aston Martin DB5 (Corgi miniature) fell down and it got destroyed and it was impossible to find a replacement from Italy and my parents contacted my relative in England and they send me back a new one, but it was not the same, it was without revolving plate and without the cutting in the wheel.













Tell us about the fair
The fair in the beginning was here in front of us, now they are building up a new area, it is a
city congress of Milan and it is the largest in Europe. Now the fair is in seven kilometers from here and they are playing the EXPO and that period we started to do a lot of co-operation with other fairs. And with motorcycle fair, there was one million people. It’s a lot. Really unbelievable. In six days there came everybody, it was full of pilots (not because of my stand, but because of the fair). There were a lot of people coming to our stand: journalists, drivers… even Berlusconi, came to take a look at the James Bond stand. I have a picture with him. It’s nice and it was very successful event and then we always go ahead with consulting, organizing events, with rotaries and lions clubs, for charitys or even for business they ask me to organize the stand at the antic fair of Parma. I love antic fairs, a lot is discovered during an antic fair and I did a gallery of 100 meter. It was really a success.


I’ve been in contact to lot of actors and actresses. With Ursula Andress (Honey Ryder) I did a film festival with her, I have worked with Caterina Murino (Solange), I’ve worked with Halle Berry (Jinx), in the premiere in Rome. I was a speaker of the night. I use to go to radio and TV to talk about James Bond, talk about the club, magazines, newspapers and I have a lot of press collection like that, because it is the only one in Italy and the only one unique museum.


Edward and Ursula Andress
Photo from album of Edward Coffrini Dell'Orto

Caterina Murino (Solange), Edward, and Maryam d'Abo (Kara Milovy)
Photo from album of Edward Coffrini Dell'Orto

You have been acting in a Bond movie?
I was an extra in "Casino Royale" (2006), it was on my lake, we have a villa in Lake Como, between George Clooney and James Bond, because George Clooney has a villa in Laglio, I’m staying in Argenio and Villa Balbianello is in Lenno. Lenno is beautiful.

When I was an extra in "Casino Royale", I was a doctor and Villa Balbianello is owned by FAI (Fondo Ambiente Italiano). They protect historical buildings and they asked me to make a preview to the movie. They asked me can they use "Casino Royale" to have them to collect money. We had 1000 persons in the auditorium owned by the Berlusconi family. In the end it was a very important night. I have done really lot concerning James Bond and could talk about it many many hours.









Halle Berry and Edward
Photo from album of 
Edward Coffrini Dell'Orto


How about traveling in Bond locations?
I used to travel around the world because of James Bond. My vice president of the club and my best friend, (Francesco Mancini) now he is in Singapore and we used to go everywhere together in Bond locations, the last one was Phuket. There James Bond island is completely destroyed. We arrived at the parking and the parking was completely empty, there was nobody. At least 500 people there. It’s really small, small island, half of this lobby. This place is now completely full of souvenirs, you know the small shops. The island, it’s not big and have two James Bond café’s in the island. Everything sells James Bond. They have really put too many souvenirs. They have lost the quality of the island. Most amazing place was, however, Gibraltar.










What would be the next Bond location you would like to visit?
I don’t know. Probably it should be Bahamas. I have not yet been there and it’s amazing. It’s
full of James Bond places.

Which is your favourite  Bond movie?
"On Her Majesty’s Secret Service" (1969). Because it is a beautiful story, in this one James Bond is skiing. I’m a ski instructor and I have here the same wedding dress as Tracy, it was my present to my wife. 

Your favourite Bond actor?
My favourite Bond is Roger Moore, because Moore, like in Italy you never forget your first
love. And when I was seven years old Roger Moore was a Saint and a Persuader and James Bond. I remember Lotus coming out from the water, then he was married with Luisa
Mattioli
and they came to the same place for the summer where we used to go, so I was 6-
7 years old and watching James Bond. Really unbelievable. 

Have you met Bond stars?
Edward with Barbara Broccoli
Photo from album of Edward Coffrini Dell'Orto
I have met all Bonds, I met Sean Connery in an interview, I met Brosnan in Milan in the opening of boutique Omega, Daniel Craig twice, he was very very nervous, always pumping during the stops and when Giancarlo Giannini, you know, Mathis, arrived on the set, he’s an old school actor, when he arrived there, everybody was nervous, Daniel was nervous. They looked at the extras. They looked at Giannini but it is not shown in the movie. It was amazing.

Then in Rome, during the interview of Daniel Craig I said listen “We will never forgive you, because you lost Caterina Murino, you killed Claudio Santamaria, driver of the gasoline truck, you put Giannini in the litter” He said: “No, no, no I love Italian movies, don’t
worry.” I said: “You still have Giannini’s wallet, he took Giannini’s wallet in the movie” and he started laughing.

Everyday people contact me because of James Bond, and it’s nice.


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