9/26/24: Savoca's Godfather Sights!

After spending the morning at the regional museum of Messina and being hugely entertained by its Duomo's mechanical clock, Steven and I headed down eastern Sicily's coastline toward Savoca. 

We were initially amused when we were caught behind a small, yellow school bus, but that was until it stopped every 50 meters to let a child off and into the waiting arms of a parent!

The town of Ali Terme was attractive with its long sandy beach and interesting Sirena sculpture by Nino Ucchino.

The medieval village of Savoca was located on a ridge amid a pair of tremendous hills. To reach it, we took a four-km stretch of road that serpentined up from the coast.

Before entering the village, a statue of a donkey regaled us! It was another work by Ucchino, who we learned was world-famous for his great skill in working with steel. If we’d put a coin in, the donkey would have told us the story of Savoca in Ucchino’s voice!

In Piazza Fossia, the main square of the village, was Bar Vitelli, a place that every fan of The Godfather trilogy would put at the top of the list of things to visit in Savoca. The famous scenes of Michael Corleone asking Apollonia to marry him and the meeting between Michael and Apollonia's father were filmed here. The bar was located on the ground floor of one of the most beautiful historical buildings in Savoca, Palazzo Trimarchi. Unfortunately, the bar was packed so we couldn’t see the small photographic museum dedicated to The Godfather with pictures that had been taken during the week of filmimg.

Before Coppola chose it as the setting of significant scenes in the movie, the 15th-century cafe didn't even have an official name. Coppola selected the Bar Vitelli name for his fictional cafe, and it stuck.

Another installation by Ucchino, at the center of the square, was a tribute to director Francis Ford Coppola, who shot some scenes of the first Godfather here.

Janina, please tell Pat I thought of him when I saw this family plaque, as the name was so close to his.

Most of The Godfather's street scenes, in which Michael is seen walking up the road, were filmed here in Savoca.

While 1,500 residents call Savoca home, we read that only about 65 reside in the historic center.

During Savoca's domination by the Normans, a wide city wall was built with two entrance gates to protect the town from any outside attack. Of the two gates, this is the only one that has survived. During the Middle Ages, the gates’ iron doors were opened at dawn and closed at sunset. Until the 19th century, St. Michael’s St., the road that passed under the arch, was a steep staircase carved into the living rock to access the iron doors. Luckily, now there were cobblestones that made visiting Savoca a little easier.

Up ahead was the Chiesa di San Nicolo, the final resting place for Savoca's working-class citizens from the Middle Ages to the 19th century. Built in the 13th century, it was one of 17 churches that used to exist in Savoca. It reminded me of a fortress overlooking the valley below. 

Looking back toward the village:

The church was also known as the Chiesa di Santa Lucia because of its silver statue of the saint which is carried in procession through the streets of the village every year. The feast of St. Lucia is celebrated on the second Sunday of August and is the most important event in Savoca. However, in popular culture, the church was the second of the Savoca locations used in the filming of The Godfather, as the wedding scene between Michael and Apollonia was filmed here. The church dates to the 12th century, although its present appearance is the result of substantial alterations during the 18th century. The church houses several works of art, including a 14th-century painting of St. Michael the Archangel and a 17th-century wooden statue of the Immaculate Conception. 

The 17th-century wooden St. Michael Archangel statue was created by an unknown artist. The saint is commonly represented as winged, wearing armor, and holding a sword or spear that he used to defeat the devil because St. Michael was seen as the commander of the celestial army who fought against the rebel angels, such as the devil.

 

Lina: The 17th-century wooden statue of the Virgin of Mount Carmel reminded me of the elementary school and church of the same name, Our Lady of Mount Carmel, our siblings and we attended in Ottawa way back when!

At the rear of the church was an homage to the film's wedding scenes.

Some final shots of Savoca:

Next post: Heading to tiny Castelmola, a hilltop town with jaw-dropping views!

Posted on December 9th, 2024, from Bridgetown, Barbados, where we just arrived yesterday for some fun in the sun before embarking on a cruise of nine islands in the Caribbean. I've decided to continue writing the Sicily blog, however, rather than jumping to writing on this next trip. As always, I hope you will take care of yourself and then your loved ones.