The Godfather .... Movie Locations


Fans of The Godfather trilogy directed by Francis Ford Coppola are in for a real treat when visiting Taormina as many of the movie locations are within easy reach.

Don Corleone, played by Marlon Brando and Robert de Niro, takes his name from the town Corleone which is situated in Sicily's mountain interior, which has historical links with the Mafia. Unfortunately the town was not deemed suitable to be used as a movie location so Coppola looked towards the north eastern towns of Sicily.

Savoca is a beautiful serene hillside village at the end of a windy steep drive approximately 40 minutes from Taormina. This tranquil spot was used as the setting for the courtship and wedding in Chiesa di Santa Lucia, between Michael Corleone played by Al Pacino and his first wife Apollonia played by Simonetta Stefanelli, an actress who actually came from Savoca.

As you enter Savoca you will find Bar Vitelli where Michael Corleone discusses his marriage in The Godfather Part I with her father, the owner of the bar also called Vitelli in the movie. It is a pretty 18th century building with a vine covered terrace looking out on a valley towards the Ionian Sea and is still owned by the same family who owned it when the movie was filmed. It is rumoured that Coppola consumed 20 lemon granites a day here, I have to admit the lemon granites there are pretty amazing. Inside there is a small display of photos, press cuttings and mementos from the filming, including a rifle which my husband always has pleasure being photographed with and the chair which is said to be the exact one that Al Pacino sat on. Our dog Daisy always loves an afternoon walk around Savoca followed by socialising with tourists in Bar Vitelli. Coppola paid for the village to be paved with beautiful cobbled stones in thanks for letting him film there.

Not far from Savoca is another hilltop village called Forza d’Agro. The church of San Agostino features in The Godfather Part II in the scene where Vito escapes to America pursued by Don Ciccio’s men. Some scenes from The Godfather Part III were also filmed here when Michael shows Kay, played by Diane Keaton, his Sicily. At No5 on Vico Roma, Michael shows Kay the house where his father was born. 

About 20 minutes from Taormina is the Castello degli Schiavi (Castle of The Slaves) situated in Fiumefreddo which is said to be built over a roman villa. This building dates back to the 1700’s and was a country house for nobility. The castle was used as Michael's home and the location of the unintentional murder of Apollonia and was used in all three movies. Unfortunately you cannot see the Castle as it is very well secluded and viewings are by appointment only. It is a perfect location for weddings and events where guests can enjoy banqueting in the grounds and can arrange a large screen showing The Godfather trilogy back to back. Visits can be made by appointment or with a private guide. 

In our home town of Giardini Naxos you will find the train station that was disguised as Bagheria, where Michael greets Kay who visits Sicily for the first time for their son Anthony’s debut in the opera Cavalleria Rusticana.

The opening scenes of The Godfather Part II, when you see the funeral procession of young Vito's father, were filmed in a dry river bed underneath the hilltop town of Motta Camastra which is situated in the Alcantara Valley not far from Taormina. Some scenes from Part II were also filmed at what is now known as Radicepura which is now a horticultural park and botanical garden on Etna. The scene was filmed in the once noble palaces millstone which was once used to mill olive oil. 

Another filming location for The Godfather Part III is Piazza Agostino Pennisi which is a castle situated on a private 43,000sq ft estate in Acireale which was built for the noble Pennisi Family of Floristella. Its façade is rotated at an angle of 50 degrees clockwise so that its beauty could be admired including its Moorish-style battlements. The property set the scene for the murder of the politician Don Licio Lucchesi in the movie and is currently up for sale for just over €6 million if you have any spare cash? The road where the assassin Mosca and his son, dressed as priests, murder Don Tommasino when he stops to offer them a ride was filmed on Strada Provinciale 78 in Nunziata, a small town on the lower hills of Mount Etna. The scene in Part III when Vincent goes to visit Don Altobello was shot at Villa La Limonaia in Acireale which is now a very popular venue for weddings and special events. 

Further afield from the North East coast of Sicily a tiny abandoned train station in the Province of Enna was used as the Corleone train station in The Godfather Part II when older Vito arrives in Sicily with his wife and young family and the Church of Sant' Orsola in Erice was used as the location where Michael meets Cardinal Lamberto in Part III. 

The residence that The Corleone family stayed in whilst in Sicily in Part III is Villa Malfitano on Via Dante Alighieri in Palermo. The villa was owned by The Whitaker Family, John Whitaker was an Englishman who imported Marsala wine. The temple that you see as the Family Corleone drive to the villa is the Temple of Segesta. Which was also used as a filming location for Indiana Jones 5 the Dial of Destiny. 

Finally the final scenes of The Godfather Part III and the location of Anthony's debut in the Opera Cavalleria Rusticana was filmed on the steps outside the Teatro Massimo, Palermo's opera house. Sadly the interior was being renovated at the time of filming and so Coppola made a authentic recreation of the interior elsewhere. 

I hope that you have enjoyed my Godfather themed post?  

Please feel free to contact me for my recommendations for Godfather Tours, 
one of these tours is the perfect addition to your Sicilian adventure. 

Some locations are open to public and some you are allowed to visit by appointment only,
some are still privately owned.
If you enjoyed this post then you might enjoy these ones too to discover more about the towns of 
Savoca and Forza d’Agro
and the opera Cavalleria Rusticana 




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Love Sarah and Daisy
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