A Day out to “Godfather” Country, Sicily
We’re in Taormina Sicily for a week staying at Villa Ducale a destination which eluded us twice before but third time lucky. Our direct flight from Munich to Catania in Business Class (yes, even though only 2 hours😊) was enjoyable, relaxing and uneventful.
Villa Ducale, Taormina
This small but exclusive hotel is high up in the hills overlooking Taormina.
On completing check-in, we were totally overtaken by the bird’s eye view before us. We are above Taormina proper. We can see a huge expanse of water with the Straits of Messina on one side and the Mediterranean Sea on the other. Italian (or to be more precise, Sicilian) colours and lights dazzle our eyes. Mt Etna is in the background and although today was shrouded in clouds, it looks quite close by. The town is our feet. The décor is so Italian/Sicilian. We are sated.
We’re invited by staff to sit and partake in the daily complementary canapés and drinks while we continued to take in the magnificent view.
After a while, the concierge informed us that he’d secured dinner reservations for us for the evening and subsequently escorted us to our suite, which was spacious and lived up to our expectations.
The view from the back balcony is almost as dazzling as the one in front. We quickly unpacked, refreshed and did a quick change of clothes before heading back to the dining room and its large verandah to continue enjoying the scene we’ve dreamed off, especially with Mt Etna holding center stage.
Dinner was amazingly delicious and the accompanying wines (suggested by our waiter) were totally in sync. Dining tables were spaced apart so as intrusion is minimised and privacy respected.
Messina, Sicily
The next morning, we were up early and as per usual, power walked for nearly an hour. It was immensely invigorating given how hilly Taormina is. Afterwards we had a refreshing breakfast and prepared ourselves for a special day. Today, we’re off on our excursion to “The Godfather” country via a private guide in a well-appointed limousine. Our guide’s name is Natale (booked through Villa Ducale: excellent choice) but he speaks only broken English. We have him as our guide for the next 6 hours.
Incidentally, during our week’s stay at Villa Ducale we took the opportunity to spend a couple of hours with the owner of Villa Ducale (Signora Rosaria) and her chef (Salvatore) to “bone up” on our Italian cooking skills.
We are guided through the Messina side of Taormina to a countryside and coastline we haven’t seen before in Sicily.
Long grey sandy beaches with equally long promenades. Some of the villages and towns we drive through (or along the coastline) show economic struggle. This is quite unfortunate.
Many buildings appear dilapidated, a number of streets look generally unkempt and I noticed considerable litter is strewn about. Not a good look for tourists. Frankly, if the locals don’t have pride in their environment, tourist dollars won’t nest here!!
Natale, ever caring, stops at the better cared spots for photo opportunities. Messina is, quite frankly, a very poor distant cousin to Taormina.
Savoca, Sicily
Natale, driving slowly, takes us on the road to Savoca: The Godfather village. The road is winding. As we climb, we are treated to unbelievable Sicilian scenery. It’s filled with so many features: terraced hillsides, swathes of forest and imposing cliffs. At one point we have to stop because a car in front of us was stopped and its owner, having left the car in the middle of the road, had shinnied up the wall of a vineyard to cut some grapes!! Natale alights from the car and goes up to the other person and they greet each other: clearly, they know each other…. whereupon the other gentleman cuts a couple of small bunches of grapes and comes over to our car and gives them to Nanna who proclaims “Signora dis iza for u a……this iza mya vineyard”. How simply “romantically mafioso” and spontaneous😊
Bar Vitelli, Savoca
I am now full of expectation. I have seen The Godfather movies so many times that I can actually place myself in any of the scenes. We finally arrive at Savoca and the famous “Bar Vitelli”. This is the bar where Michael Corleone proposed to Apollonia (through her father). This is where the “negotiations” for her hand in marriage took place. We are outside the tourist season. Very few people about. Natale knows the locals so we are easily “accommodated”. The Bar is a mini museum to the Godfather Trilogy. The photos are a memory walk. The salvaged pieces from the movie sets add such reality. I’m emotional at finally being here. I “load” myself with a range of replica guns and even the local policeman comes over and tries to put his police cap on me for the photo. Nanna “directs” me to this position and that position for the photo.
I’m “instructed” to look serious and then “goof about”😊. A lot of fun. Natale takes many photos of us.
Having “calmed down” we stake out a table and chairs set in the exact position where Michael Corleone (Al Pacino) sat during the scenes. I order an espresso for myself and OJ for Nanna. Alas there is no table service so I get to go inside but Natale jumps to the rescue and insists we “sita” while he gets the refreshment for us. (It must be true: I have been told that I look a lot like Al Pacino😊). After the refreshments, Natale takes us to the side street which was used by Corleone to come up beside the bar. It’s no longer a gravel road but I can picture the trio coming up the gravel road, shotguns slung over their shoulders and talking fancifully about the girl (Apollonia).
Natale then walked us to other parts of the village where other scenes were filmed for all 3 movies.
The church where Michael and Apollonia were married was sensational. It’s perched high on an escarpment capturing a view that only God created.
We went to another part where the assassin dressed as a priest murdered one of the “padrones”.
We are virtually the only ones on the streets. We amble ever so slowly and take so many pictures out of fear that our brains may not be able to store all of what we see. Finally and sadly, we leave Savoca but not before Nanna had loaded up with obligatory 10 postcards for “la familia”.
Forza d’Agro, Sicily
By this time, it’s about 12.30 and Natale takes us to the next equally high perched village in The Godfather country. It’s lunch time. The village’s name is “Forza d’Agro”. Natale declines to join us for lunch despite our insistence and stressed that he’s constantly at our service…. WOW. The name of the Ristorante is “il Padrino”. So appropriate.
The maitre’d places us at a table where the unobstructed views from this high up are simply breathtaking. The coastline and the sprinkling of villages are below us. The autostrada sits astride the countryside like a giant steel girder. Across the calm shimmering water, yet again we see Calabria. We sigh in contentment. The company, the views…. Heaven has a lot to catch up to.
The waitress speaks good English and explains to us that we should leave the choices of lunch to her!
Nanna and I look at each other and quickly agree because we were advised the previous day about this restaurant and its high reputation for excellent food.
Firstly, we are given a refreshing drink. Fairly quickly, the first 3 of a 12-course lunch arrive……that’s right: a 12 course lunch. They are all mostly fish dishes and the portions are sufficient to satisfy us without being gluttonous and thus possibly making us ill. We could taste the freshness of all….they were simply delicious. Gone is the thought of an hour’s lunch….It turns out to be over 3 hours….what an absolute delight😊
At the end of lunch, the waitress brings over coffee and 3 types of limoncello…. serious stuff.
There are only a few people in this large restaurant (off season travel) so I get up and walk about to explore the multitude of Godfather photos and memorabilia hanging on the walls.
One of the customers noticed me looking at the arrayed photos and comes over and introduced himself. In halting English he explained that the man in the photo I was looking at was his father and that his father played the mayor of the town of Corleone in the movies. I look at the man and yes there was a resemblance. This lovely gentlemen then introduced Nanna and me to his family…. very neighbourly and welcoming.
Back to Villa Ducale
By about 4.00, Natale advised us that it was time to start heading back. Prior to parting however, he introduced us to the owner of this “magical” ristorante, who brought us each a complimentary espresso and chatted with us for a while. Needless to say, he wanted to know all about Australia😊. We complied. Finally, the bill for lunch arrived and we were simply astounded. The entire “feast and experience” cost us approximately AUD$100!!…. Unbelievable…. a super meal in great company, with an incredible view and I was certainly expecting to pay considerably more. We arrived back at Villa Ducale by about 6.00. Naturally, no dinner this evening. Instead we decided to kick back on our private verandah, ordered a couple (well, more than a couple😊) of Campari and sodas and recalled the day’s wonderful events😊
