Continuing on from our last post and our residual excitement from the finale of the excellent season two of HBO’s hit show, “The White Lotus,” we have been outlining a tour of some of the key destinations and locations that were featured in the show and that gave us yet another reason to start stalking incredible villas in Sicily and plan a vacation in this gorgeous part of the world! In the previous post, we mentioned some of the places in Taormina that were used as filming locations but noted that there were many more key destinations featured in addition to this impossibly dreamy city in Italy.
In fact, even the beach from the Taormina scenes was actually located elsewhere as, while the city does have some very charming stretches of coast in and around it, they are somewhat rocky and not quite perfectly sandy enough. So, they had to go elsewhere, to Cefalù for her picture-perfect beaches though the town also got to be a star in its own right too. The show actually introduced us to several other unimaginably picturesque towns and settings and made us fall in love so, if you have booked your holiday rental in Sicily and you are ready to start exploring the island as a whole, here are the other key spots from the show to visit during your trip:
Cefalù
Aside from that perfect, powdery beach that they borrowed for their Taormina scenes, Cefalù is a gorgeous and peaceful seaside town that is a little less polished and a little more relaxed but equally lovely. It is certainly well worth visiting as it is sure to charm to no end! Boasting some of Italy’s best beaches, Arab-Norman architectural gems, a charming town of stone buildings, rocky outcrops, greenery, and impossibly blue skies and seas, it was itself chosen as the location for scenes in Giuseppe Tornatore’s, “Cinema Paradiso,” as it is a little slice of paradise. Featured in some of the beach scenes as the White Lotus’ perfect sandy strand, the town is also a destination where Jack and Portia head for a day-trip. They can be seen eating ice-cream and talking about life in the stunning old port, with the picturesque and historic fisherman’s houses as a backdrop, while sitting on the iconic bench pictured above that is a major part of the townscape when viewed from the sea.
Noto
The town of Noto, meanwhile, is where Daphne and Harper head on a day-trip themselves after Daphne eulogises about the reputed beauty of the city and its architecture and the quality of its shopping. For all of these things, it is definitely worth a visit if you are enjoying a holiday in Sicily, as she said! Enjoy the lush and diverse feast of late Baroque architecture (such as the charming Church of San Francesco d'Assisi all'Immacolata, in front of which Daphne and Harper are shown chatting and walking as they descend the stairs) throughout this jewellery box of a city by walking around or sit out in a square and sample some delicious local treats, as the women are seen doing. If you really want to do it right though, head to the beloved Caffè Sicilia, in Corso Vittorio Emanuele, 125, which was voted the best Bar in Italy a few years ago and is famous for its remarkable cakes and granitas (flavoured crushed-ice desserts). The spot where Harper leans by the wall at the base of the stairs by the church is actually where Claudia (Monica Vitti) waits for Sandro (Gabriele Ferzetti) in Antonioni’s, “L’avventura,” and directly quotes this scene, giving you even more reason to see this cinematic and iconic part of this stunning city for yourself!
Palermo
Portia and Jack, who are two of the characters who most explore the island during the course of the show are also seen on an outing in Palermo, which Jack recommends as a more exciting and bustling city with a vibrant nightlife. This is certainly true, although you don’t need to run out on bills or be involved in conspiracies in order to have a thrilling time! Palermo, without any of this, has so much to offer visitors who are on vacation in Sicily! The winding and charming streets, the endless array of bars and restaurants, the truly remarkable Arab-Norman architectural gems, the melting pot of cultures, and the excellent food (including arancini, as they eat in the show) and drinks, all make Palermo a wonderful place for all kinds of adventures. So, if you want to experience it for yourself, we recommend heading to the La Vucciria area, an old market district that is now a vibrant spot full of eateries and bars and comes to life from around 8pm each evening when it attracts the rich and the trendy along with students and the less well-off alike. Street food is made on the spot, drinks are inexpensive, and all sorts of performers can be found reading poetry or playing music and more. Just be sure to keep your wits about you as it is easy to get lost or separated from your companions and pick-pockets are known to frequent the area in search of the unaware. On the other end of the spectrum, Palermo is also home to the extraordinarily plush and elegant Teatro Politeama where Tanya is seen taking in a performance of, “Madama Butterfly.” For those looking for a dose of culture and the arts in a magic spot while enjoying a getaway in Sicily, it offers a truly unforgettable setting for a show!
Tourist attractions
Finally, if you’re looking to emulate two of the days out from the show, you can head to Planeta’s Feudo di Mezzo wine estate in the shadow of Etna to sample some incredible wine and tour the lovely vineyards as the two couples did in the show. Or, if you’re a big, “Godfather,” fan like Bert is, you too can see the house and hideout for Michael Corleone and the site where his wife, Apollonia, was killed. However, don’t expect the slightly tasteless version of the experience from the show – with the blown-up car with a dummy and somewhat tacky gift shop – as it doesn’t exist in this form in reality. Instead, for a more enjoyable outing related to the movie, head to the little village of Savoca, where you will find and be able to eat at the gorgeous Bar Vitelli, the place where Michael first laid eyes on Apollonia.
No one really needs yet another reason to find a villa in Sicily for their next vacation as it truly is one of the most amazing places for a holiday in the world and has so much to offer travellers from the scenery to the beaches to the food to the historic towns. However, if you also happen to be a, “The White Lotus,” fan, then you’ll surely get a kick out of enjoying some of the amazing parts of the island that also appeared on our screens and in some key scenes! Discover this remarkable part of the world on your next getaway in Italy and enjoy all of its abundant beauty and charm – preferably without the chaos that the characters experienced and far more relaxation!