09:00 am This morning we’ll depart for the must-see Sicilian Mountain villages that have become world known thanks to F.F. Coppola, who filmed the legendary "The Godfather" here. You will reach Savoca, a medieval town hidden in the mountains.
Our first point will be the world-famous Bar Vitelli, where Michael Corleone asked Apollonia's father for her hand in marriage. Here lunch will be served so you can taste different types of excellent Sicilian wines accompanied by traditional food of the island (meat and cheese delicacies, vegetables, fresh bread, olives and olive oil), sitting on the terrace with a breathtaking view of the Ionian coast and mountains.
We will continue the tour in Forza D'Agro, another picturesque mountain town that also has become the place for the scenes of the Godfather. You will explore the historic square, the ancient monastery and churches, walk the abandoned streets, and enjoy the unique atmosphere of Sicilian villages that was here some hundreds of years ago.
“The Godfather” Filming Locations in Sicily “
In the Godfather’s films the towns of Forza d’Agrò were used as locations for those scenes set in Corleone.
- Belvedere, Forza d’Agrò, Messina, Italy
- Forza d’Agrò, Messina, Italy
The church on the hill in Savoca where Michael Corleone married. The Godfather wedding scene, shot in 1972. Savoca, near the prosperous coastal resort town of Taormina (whose station was used in Godfather III) was chosen as a stand-in for the real village of Corleone in the 1972 movie because it was relatively untouched by progress and had fewer issues than Corleone with the local mafia.
Locals led a hard-scrabble existence, farming on terraces and growing citrus trees and cactus, a perfect backdrop for a story of a Sicilian family who migrated to the US and made it good, mafia style.
Even today, life goes on in a typically “piano, piano” Sicilian way – not too fast. Savoca, unlike inland Corleone, looks to the Ionian Sea from its lofty perch, a pretty village surrounded by sun-blasted hillsides and the occasional old stone farmhouse.
When Francis Ford Coppola filmed here, all the scenes were shot looking away from the stunning view for authenticity. In contrast, a modern sculpture of Coppola, crouched over his cine camera, looks to the sea.
There is one winding, narrow road up from the coastal highway to Savoca, which is now augmented with some modern villas, and then a gentle upward stroll past tiny houses and old ruins to the church on the hilltop, begun in the 14th century and known as Santa Lucia, where Michael married Apollonia.
Tonight, enjoy dinner on your own.