Sicilian Hill Towns of Savoca, Forza d'Agro, and Beyond.....

     Although we've been to Savoca and Forza d'Agro several times, including when everyone was here last year, we can't resist going back.  These two hill towns, separated only by a deep valley, couldn't be more different, but share the common identity of having been important film locations for the Godfather (or il Padrino as it is known here) movie series of the 1970s.

     Savoca is tiny, built on the razorback of a rocky crag, but it's as cute and jumbled together as a basket of kittens.  The town's peacefulness and serenity seem an unlikely setting for the violent Godfather movies, but the two scenes filmed here - the Bar Vitelli scene where Michael Corleone confronts Apollonia's father, and the Santa Lucia Church scene of Michael and Apollonia's wedding - are two of the most remembered scenes from the series.

     Bar Vitelli has been partially restored and looks great both inside and out.  In the small piazza in front of the bar, a mirrored silhouette statue of a filming Francis Ford Coppola has been erected, and there are Godfather references all around town.....
                                                                 

                                         

         

      We like to arrive in Savoca before noon, to take advantage of one of the most magical experiences you will find in Sicily.  Every day, just after the noon bells ring in Santa Lucia Church, an instrumental version of "Ave Maria" is played from the church belfry, echoing off the surrounding hilltops and down through the valleys, a most inspirational experience.  As the song ends, Savoca falls back into it's quiet, idyllic, sleepy self.

     Forza d"Agro is larger than Savoca, and has a more traditional Sicilian hill town layout. There are magnificent views from all around the town.  Strolling the narrow streets and passageways, with the sweet scent of wood fires and home cooking wafting about, it takes you back decades, maybe centuries.

     The important Godfather II scene filmed here is that of a young Vito Corleone being smuggled out of town in the pack of a mule.  The scene shows the mule crossing in front of the Santa Maria Annunziata Church, about where you see the black car in the photo below.....   And no, the people in the next two photos are not Michael Corleone and Apollonia.....

   

   

     After leaving both Savoca and Forza d'Agro we set off on tiny roads driving deeper into the mountains, because, well,,,, that's what we do.  We saw a town called Scifi, drove through a hand-cut tunnel, and saw a tiny church on top of a mountain.  The roads can sometimes become "challenging", and in one case, many miles after leaving Savoca, we had to turn around and go back as we didn't feel the road was safe enough for our rental car, not to mention our nerves.  And yes, this was the "main road" to the next town!

     We've put together a sunrise to moonlight video of photos from Savoca, Forza d'Agro, and Beyond.... the link is below.  If it is not visible, hover your cursor in the space and it should appear. Try to watch full screen with the sound on.....

                                                      https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5jkgCDK_bcg