Taormina, Savoca, and Forza d’Agrò are three historic Sicilian hilltop towns on the Ionian coast. Savoca and Forza d’Agrò are situated approximately 15–20 miles north of Taormina. These two were the primary filming locations for Francis Ford Coppola’s The Godfather.
To get to Taormina, we had to drive through Naxos founded by Greek Colonists in the 8th Century B.C.E. We could see the magnificent bay, Taormina, and Mount Etna. After the beautiful coastal ride, we turned inland to the Peloritani Mountains, where Savoca, the first village we were touring, was located.
Savoca is a quiet and crumbling hill village perched high above the sea, this is a really atmospheric taste of authentic Sicily. One hilltop is topped by the very fragmentary remains of castle walls dating to the twelfth century. The other is crowned by a former church, the Chiesa del Calvario, and three wooden crosses where the village’s Easter re-enactments take place. We climbed to the summit of one hill, past 15th and 16th century churches to Santa Lucia. Santa Lucia, perches on the hillside beneath the rocky castle summit and was featured in a wedding scene in The Godfather. Decorations include a modern fresco behind the altar, a silver statue of St. Lucy and a display of ex-votos of eyes (Santa Lucia/St Lucy had her eyes put out and is the patron saint of sight).
From the top of the hill, we saw beautiful panoramas of Sicily, a Norman castle, and the Strait of Messina. We also visited the Capuccini Church where mummified bodies stand fully dressed in the crypt’s shadowy niches, then the Arab-Norman Castle of Capo Stant’ Alessio. Along the way we stopped at various local shops to taste and buy treats to take home. At bottom was Bar Vitelli where scenes for the Godfather movie were shot.
Then we visited the village of Forza D’Agro to see the church of S. Agostino and the Baroque Mother Church alongside the castle of Capo Sant’Alessio. These sites were prominent in The Godfather III movie. Scanty remains of a fort-like structure located at the top of the mountain indicate that Forza D’Agrò had once been a fortress.
Holy Trinity
Perhaps you will recognize many of these sites from the Godfather movies.
As we travelled to our next port we passed a volcano rising from the water like a pyramid: Stromboli. The island of the same name is an ancient and active volcano rising massively from the Mediterranean. There are a couple of small settlements on the coast. Stromboli has been erupting for as long as records exist. The volcano gives its name to a type of eruption: strombolian. It was quite a sight.
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