Savoca, Sicily: A Godfather Filming Locations Guide

If you’re a Godfather movie fan, then coming to Sicily and not visiting Savoca and the filming locations is a terrible mistake. Savoca has been onmy bucket list exactly because of that, though the village itself is pretty beautiful too. In this travel guide, I am sharing with you my top tips on how to visit Savoca in Sicily with must Godfather filming locations there.

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Where is Savoca

Savoca is on the eastern side of Sicily, in the Province of Messina. It’s about 23 km (14 mi) from Taormina and about 71 km (44 mi) from Catania, the largest city on this side of the island.

How to Get to Savoca

The easiest is to fly to Catania Airport and then rent a car and drive to Savoca. If renting a car is not your thing, then you can join a guided tour from Catania or Taormina.

Godfather I

The Godfather is a 1972 American epic gangster film directed by Francis Ford Coppola and starred by Marlon Brando (as Vito Corleone), Al Pacino (as Michael Corleone), James Caan, Richard Castellano, Robert Duvall, Sterling Hayden, John Marley, Richard Conte and Diane Keaton.

The Godfather is regarded as one of the greatest and most influential movies ever made and is definitely one of my favourites.

While Godfather I mainly takes place in NYC, some scenes were filmed in Savoca, which we will all cover in this filming guide.

Godfather Filming Locations in Savoca

Here are the 3 main locations in Savoca that were used for filming Godfather I.

Just bear in mind that in the movie they called this place Corleone, and while there is a small village of Corleone indeed in Sicily, the filming of Corleone was actually done in Savoca!

Bar Vitelli

Once you reach the village of Savoca, the first location will be Bar Vitelli. Depending on what time of the day you get there, I recommend at least having a coffee or drinks, but you can also have lunch here.

The bar is famous for the scene when Michael Corleone (played by Al Pacino) comes to the bar to ask the owner of the bar for permission to marry his daughter Apollonia.

There’s still a table with chairs where Michael was sitting, so if you’re lucky, you can even sit there. Unfortunately, it was already occupied when I came, but it was still pretty epic to drink that same coffee.

Also, make sure not to skip the interior of the cafe because it’s filled with framed wall photos that were taken during filming Godfather.

Godfather Wedding Walk

As you head towards the Chiesa di San Nicolo from the Bar Vitelli, you will pass by the Godfather Wedding Walk.

A scene took place there after Michael and Apollonia got married and were headed for celebration. You’re practically doing the opposite direction as you’re heading towards the church and not from it.

P. S. The views from there are really great.

Chiesa di San Nicolo

And the last filming location is at Chiesa di San Nicolo where Michael’s and Apollonia’s wedding took place.

The church is really cute to visit even if you’re not a movie fan. You will need to pay a small entrance fee to enter the church.

But, what’s actually pretty cool inside is that there’s a movie corner where they’re keeping clothes from the set with a few notes of it and there’s even a small tv playing the movie. I loved this idea a lot.

You can refer to the scene from the video above.

📖 Read my Best Farm Stays in Sicily Perfect for Agritourism blog post.

Google Maps of Godfather Filming Locations in Savoca

Best Godfather Tours in Sicily

If renting a car is not your thing, then these are the best Godfather tours in Sicily you can join.

Where to Stay near Savoca

The best is to stay in or near Taormina if you plan to visit Savoca.

📖 For more details, check these Taormina hotels blog posts:

– 11 Best 5 Star Hotels in Taormina You’ll Love
– Top 9 Taormina Hotels on the Beach for Every Budget
– Top 12 Most Instagrammable Hotels in Taormina for Your Feed

Is Savoca worth Visiting

Savoca is a beautiful small uphill village, with panoramic views and cosy vibe. There’s not much to do, beside visiting these 3 main Godfather locations. If you’re not a movie fan, you may still find it beautiful, but not as exciting as perhaps some other places in Sicily.

However, if you’re a fellow Godfather fan, then Savoca is definitely worth visiting and should be on your bucket list. The village does feel like it stopped in the 50s of the last century.

✅ If you’re looking for a custom travel plan, find out more about my personalised itinerary service here.

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