Savoca, Sicily was our very favorite spot on our two week trip through Sicily. We booked it before knowing that this was the town where the Sicilian scenes of The Godfather were shot. Being Sicilian myself, these were actually my favorite scenes of all the movies because of the location. We were initially looking for a spot far enough away from the August tourist hustle of Taormina and came across the stunning town of Savoca.
As soon as we left the airport the vacation truly began. As we drove north toward Taormina the view of Mount Etna was absolutely awe inspiring! There really is no describing the size and grand presence that this great volcano has. We’ve seen other volcanoes in Costa Rica but this one rocked us to the core… and that was just in passing! Being so jet lagged we didn’t have it in us to fight through tourists in Taormina and decided to head straight to our resort in Savoca just northwest. Savoca is a quiet and hilltop village perched high above the sea, and is a gorgeous taste of authentic Sicily. A world away from the touristy bustle of Taormina just down the coast, Savoca offers a chance to breathe deeply and see what an unspoiled Sicilian village can be. A recent restoration program, including the development of the resort we chose, has opened the village to visitors, but a short stroll still passes abandoned dwellings, crumbling churches and breathtaking rural views. Little did we know that this was the town where The Godfather was shot, where Michael met his Sicilian short-lived wife, and where the wedding was held. There is no describing the peace and beauty of this town, and our resort Borgo San Rocco was one place that I would come back to again and again.
↑ Borgo San Rocco
We read many reviews about the ride up the mountains and on the very small wide roads to the resort so we made sure we chose a small rental car specifically for this reason. And thank goodness we did. I have never in my life been on roads this windy with zero percent visibility from the other direction and where cars just drive as if there weren’t a 90 perfect chance of bumping into another car around the bend. Even on the bigger roads, buses that head up to this historic town beep their horn at every curve. Once you get into the main part of the village the fun really begins when the roads—more like cobble stone paths this to the width that a car can barely fit through. If you look around you’ll see all the cars in this town with scrapes on both sides, and the owner of our resort drives a car that is battered at every single corner. And I mean battered! One less thing to worry about.
Borgo San Rocco-ohhh, oh how I miss you. When we finally got the the resort, haggard and sleep deprived, we we’re met with the warmth of family! They immediately sat us down, opened a bottle of Sicilian wine (actually this bottle was from my mother’s home town of Vittoria) poured us glass after glass, brought us a heavenly plate of caponata, a Sicilian eggplant dish consisting of a cooked vegetable salad made from chopped fried eggplant and celery seasoned with sweetened vinegar, with capers in a sweet and sour sauce, and three dishes of couscous. All stress melted away as we walked over to our room, which was part of the renovated end of town that Victorio has made into this exquisite resort. Created from restored houses in the one of the tiny ‘hamlets’ which make up Savoca, this resort hotel is full of character, and surprisingly good value. Staying here is a special experience, with its onsite restaurant serving some of the finest locally-sourced Sicilian delicacies while sitting outside overlooking the cliffs of the village. Be sure to try the homemade pasta of the day! A short and steep walk downhill, there’s a swimming pool with a grassy terrace and an outdoor kitchen where if you are lucky, you’ll catch a cooking class like we did! Everyone at the pool that day was invited to join in and then we all sat at a long table together to enjoy our feast, which was seafood risotto that day, and shared bottle after bottle of local wine. Guests were from all over the world and this was such a sweet way to get to know each other. And, no, there was no charge for this amazing once in a lifetime experience. They truly do all they can to make their guests feel like family!
↑ The Churches
Right from the resort you can walk in either direction to the main part of the villages to eat, shop or visit Savoca’s beautiful churches. One memory I will never forget was the sound of church bells every hour ringing through the entire valley, and at noon Ave Maria chimes through every corner of the town. There was nothing I could do but sit down and cry in awe.
EAT
↑ Bar Vitelli
As you tour the panoramic lanes, the view encompasses sea, mountains, steep green valleys, cultivated terraces, sheep, distant hill towns, ruins and far-off Mount Etna. Savoca has plenty of charms of its own, but for occupants of the occasional tourist buses which make their way here, the main attraction is the village’s connection with Francis Ford Coppola’s film The Godfather. Scenes for the movie were shot at Bar Vitelli, on the village’s little square. This restaurant is surprisingly really good for a tourist destination. It really didn’t have to be and people would still come for the movie nostalgia, but everything we ate was just so good. We sat outside under a grand trellis and shared a citrus salad, three kinds of granitas, a chocolate gelato and a few drinks. We were happy. There were also amazing sandwich shops where I could get my fill of fresh baked bread and mortadella, and bakeries with cannoli and sfogliatelle to eat to our heart’s content!
We spent most of our time soaking in the peace and silence of the valley, I was so inspired that I started drawing again and haven’t stopped since. We stayed two nights but would have loved a few more. I might even plan a week long trip to just relax and unwind here for a whole vacation. We were truly sad to leave.