February 20, 2026

Catania, Sicilia, Italia

Good morning. The room was a little hot last night. Tonight, I will have to ask them how to turn on the air, or at least the fan. Today, we are going on the Godfather Movie Locations Tour. Apparently, quite a bit or at least a few scenes from each of the three movies were shot in Sicilia, many of them near by. They pickup is at 9:00 just a few blocks from here.

We went down for breakfast at 08:00, but the man setting up the room said, sorry breakfast begins at 08:30. Last night we were told 08:00, no matter we just want a coffee and brioche anyway. So, we walked the block to Via Antonio di Sangiuliano, yes where we were dropped off yesterday, and got breakfast at Levante.

Levante Gelato Artigianale is not a large chain, but rather a small, artisanal operation with limited, specific locations in Sicilia. According to the internet, they are known for authentic, handmade, and locally sourced flavors in areas like Ortigia (Siracusa) and Taormina. The cappuccini and brioches were very good. The place is clean and well light. They have tables both inside and out.

After breakfast we walked the next block down Via Antonio di Sangiuliano to Piazza Manganelli. It is here we are going to meet the tour. There was a guy in a van, and I thought maybe it was our guy, but no, it was a different tour. Our guy showed up just after 10:00. We had booked a “add on” to the tour, Castello degli Schiavi. This historic castle has been used in several movies, including the Godfather films. It is located in the town of Fiumefreddo about 40km east of Catania.

The original switch board for the villa, Nothing to do with the movie.

It was the backdrop for several key scenes in the Godfather movies, and thanks to that has gained international recognition. If you have seen the films you will instantly recognize it as the location where Michael Corleone stayed after leaving New York. It is also the site of the explosive car scene where Michael’s first wife Apollonia Vitelli is killed. It is also the site of the discussions with Don Tommaso about where to get help in the Vatican.

We didn’t know exactly what to expect from this extra stop, but We felt is was very much worth it. Today, the castle is privately owned by the Platania family, The Barons of Santa Lucia. In fact, it is the current baron, 86 years old, who took us on the tour of his home. The first thing that captivated us was the grand exterior of this baroque style villa. You also immediately recognize this as the site used in the movies. It isn’t some isolated farm, but night night to the road. Movie magic transformed it into a tranquil isolated villa. The baron spent a good forty minutes showing us around the property and even taking us inside his home.

After our tour our driver returned and we headed off to the next movie site, The Bar Vitelli in Savoca, which is another 40km east of the Castello degli Schiavi. In the movie they may have appears close to each other but that isn’t the case. Unfortunately, the Bar Vitelli is currently being remodeled. The bar is there and it too is instantly recognized. They are turning and inside the back side of the bar into a B&B (B&B Vitelli Charming Suites & Palazzo Trimarchi Boutique Hotel) and boutique hotel.

Opposite the Bar Vitelli is the square where the wedding party was held after Apollonia and Michael were married. It does not look at all the same. We then walked up to Chiesa San Nicolò were they were married. It too was under renovation. Then we walked down the same road where they wedding party walked from the church to the square for the reception. It has already been renovated and doesn’t even look close.

Then we drove to Castelmola, now heading back towards Catania. Here we had lunch in a restaurant whose owner’s grandfather’s bicycle was used in the Godfather III movie. Then we visited the church were Michael took his second wife in the Godfather III, the site where the priest handed her a flower, and the doorway that Michael showed her was his father’s house. There we plaques at each location indicating how it was used in the movie. Marketing.

Mary started with the pizza, but we traded after a few bites.

The grandfather bicycle in the restaurant.

The doorway to Michael’s father house as it appears today. Note they posted a photograph next to the door.

The church where the wedding took place in Godfather III

The driver then told us the tour was over. It had only been 5-and-a-half-hours of a 7-hour tour. He did offer to take us to Taormina for an extra €25 each. Taormina didn’t mean anything to us, but the other couple apparently knew it was a place to go. So, we agreed. And we were off.

Taormina is all about marketing. The first marketing event was Johann Wolfgang von Goethe’s reference to Taormina in his late 1700’s publication Italian Journey. He described the area as a “patch of paradise”. And – Taormina became a premier tourist attraction in the 19th century, tra forming the charming quite town into a fashionable resort for European elites. All of this was driven on by the “Grand Tour” tradition of the 19th century.

Oscar Wilde visited Taormina for about a month in 1898. He stayed at the Hotel Victoria on Corso Umberto, it is still there. He was seeking refuge after his imprisonment for being gay in England. He called the town a “lover’s paradise”. He collected photos of “beautiful boys” while frequenting the studio of the photographer Wilhelm von Gloeden. Gays are vilified by society, but the places they chose end up being major tourist attractions because they were there?

Taormina occupies an ancient site. It is situated on a hill that forms the last projecting point of the mountain ridge that extends along the coast from Cape Pelorus to this point. The old town is about 250 meters (820 ft) above the sea, on a very steep and almost isolated rock. All of this is crowned by a Norman castle which rises about 150 meters (490 ft) higher. Ancient writers mentioned a site possibile at this location of an Arx or citadel.

Portions of the ancient walls can be traced round the brow of the hill, the whole of the summit of which was occupied by an ancient city. Numerous fragments of ancient buildings are scattered over town, including extensive reservoirs of water, sepulchres, tessellated pavements, and the remains of a spacious edifice, commonly called a Naumachia, whose real purpose is difficult to determine.

Castello Saraceno, built by the Arabs, is about 400 meters high on the rock of Monte Tauro, dominating Taormina and the bay below. It was the ideal place to controll the valley of the river Alcantara. There is an Arab necropolis was built somewhere between the ninth and eleventh century. There is an ancient theatre probably Greek in origin but modified and rebuilt probably by the Romans. This theatre is the second largest of its kind in Sicily; today, it is frequently used for operatic and theatrical performances and concerts.

There are other sights including the 12th-14th-century Palazzi Corvaja, the 13th-century cathedral, 1 1635 Baroque fountain, the Palazzo Duchi di Santo Stefano in the 14th-century Gothic style, the Church of San Domenico, The church of San Pancrazio, the Anglican Church of Saint George, and the municipal gardens. There is also a funivia (cable car) which connects the historic center, Corso Umberto, to the beach area (Via Luigi Pirandello in Mazzarò) below; it closed for renovation. Many stores are closed for the season. Despite it not being tourist season the place seems packed to us. One can only imagine what it would be like at the height of the season.

We walked from the Porta Catania, where we were dropped, down Corso Umberto to Porta Messina, then walked up to and into the the “Greek theater”. Yes, very pretty and historically interesting, but the whole route was lined with restaurants, hotels and tourist shops. A visit here? Probably worth it. Need more time to see the historical aspects. We walked back to Porta Catania, got back into the car and headed back to Catania where we arrived just as it had gone 18:30.

 L’Isole Bella from Taormina

Porta Catania

La Grotta Ulisse Restaurant - just thought it was cute.

Chiesa del Varò

Basilica di San Nicola di Bari

The Greek/Roman Theater

We want back to our room. Took off our coats and headed down to the restaurant below to see how to “fix” the air conditioner. They replaced the batteries in the controller and said that should do it. We stayed and had a tagliere for dinner and a glass of wine. That was it for the day. Changing the batteries worked.

Buonanotte e Ciao,

Enrico e Maria