There are only a handful of films that can rightfully consider themselves to be an enduring classic, and The Godfather is one of them. Directed by Francis Ford Coppola and released in 1972, it starred big name actors such as Marlon Brando, Al Pacino, James Caan and Robert Duvall. It had the honor of being the highest grossing picture ever made, for a time, and won three Academy Awards. It remains, unanimously, one of the greatest American movies of all time.
In today’s video we’ll be talking about some of the most famous tourist sites around Sicily tied to The Godfather movie series.
As iconic movie settings go, Sicily has definitely left its mark on Hollywood’s cinematic landscape. With its rich culture and beautiful backdrops, it’s no wonder why it made the perfect home for The Godfather movies.
If you are a huge fan of the Godfather Trilogy, then maybe a trip to the places where the movie was filmed is one vacation you should take. Step into the world of the Corleones as you take in the sights, sounds, and flavors of the two towns that were used in the movie to show the early life of Vito in Corleone, Sicily. While the characters in the book and the movie are fictional, the town is still notorious for the real Mafia bosses that originated from there, with the fictional Corleone family putting the town on the map, so to speak.
Before you plan a trip to the locations where the movie was filmed, it might be a good idea for you to watch it again, particularly the second installment of the trio, to prepare yourself for what you are about to experience. This way, you get to relive and relish the many amazing sights and locales where the actors in the movie and the characters they portrayed stood, drank, talked, and enjoyed themselves. You can even take pictures in the exact spots where scenes from the film were shot to give yourself souvenirs of your “The Godfather” inspired vacation.
Where to Go
There are a lot of places for you to visit when you are planning a Godfather-inspired vacation in Sicily. Here are some of them:
- Bar Vitelli – For starters, you can visit the Bar Vitelli in Savoca where a lot of the movie’s more memorable scenes were shot. The look of the bar has been preserved and it still looks like the way it did when the movie was filmed here. It even has film memorabilia up on its walls to show people what made the bar famous, and for nostalgia and film buffs, the beaded curtains that you see in the film is still hanging from its doorway.
- Church of Santa Lucia – Also in Savoca is the church where Michael Corleone married Apollonia, which is the Church of Santa Lucia. Walk from Bar Vitelli to the church and back to see what it was like for the wedding guests and the couple who were there on that fateful day.
- Church of Sant’Agostino – Located in Forza d’ Agro, this is the second church to be featured in the movie and is where Vito Corleone is seen trying to escape to America. This church is also seen in a few other scenes, such as when Michael visits Sicily in the first Godfather movie.
You can also walk the streets of these towns to see the other places where the movie was filmed. There are even mementos that show you how much the movie has helped shape these towns into the tourist draws they are today. For example, in Savoca, you can see a sculpture depicting Coppola along the railings overlooking mountains and the sea. You might even meet one of the members of the cast, Antonella Savoca, who was the flower girl in the wedding scene and is still living in town as a businesswoman, running a guesthouse and a bar.
Experience Sicily as if you were part of these iconic movies by traveling to these locales with a guided tour or customize your vacation to help you relive and savor all the memorable scenes that made this trilogy great.
This presentation is also available as a slide deck on Slideshare!
