Il Padrino in…Savoca
otherwise known as “The Godfather Village.”
That’s right, folks. Believe it or not, everything you see in the movies IS NOT REAL.
Hollywood would try to trick and confuse us?
Sad, I know.
But, the small Sicilian village of Corleone, the quaint, close-knit town we all longed to visit when we watched The Godfather, is not realllly what you think it is. (Although, interestingly enough, Al Pacino’s maternal grandparents immigrated from, no where other than, Corleone, Italy…Thanks, Wikipedia!)
So you see, Corleone, does in fact exist, and is a town in the province of Palermo, with around 12,000 citizens, modern roads, and a mafia presence that apparently didn’t appreciate the liberties taken by Mr. Coppola…or, Mr. Puzo for that matter, when creating this blockbuster hit.
So, they looked South - and East - and far from any perils that may exist a little too close to home. The solution?
Savoca, Italy.
If a more ideal location could have been found, I’d like to see it. Savoca is everything you see in the movie, although, in our case, with far fewer folks. During our hour or so passeggiata, we saw one woman walking, two men in an ape, and some of the most compelling scenery we saw throughout the weekend.
We saw dozens of churches, including the church where Michael marries Apollonia.
It was perfect for a half-day excursion from Messina, and even the drizzle of raindrops, and the cool wind didn’t distract from the experience. Savoca is everything you could want in a Sicilian mountaintop village, and I, for one, would love to go back!
Note: Notice in the first picture, Michelle and I practicing our mafia-life flipoffs in front of the still operational Bar Vitelli. However, in typical southern Italy style, it was closed on our Friday evening visit…Boh! This happens to be the lone photo of the two of us insieme during our Sicilian getaway.
14 responses to “Il Padrino in…Savoca”
March 4th, 2008 at 1:42 pm
You have been hanging around the “Don” way too much, you have that look down perfect!!! haha Thanks for the information about the city. I was so mad at my husband because I have always wanted to go to Corleone just to say I’ve been there.. So next trip, it will be on to Savoca!! Closed????? why doesn’t that surprise me…
March 4th, 2008 at 3:36 pm
Funny about it being closed. Loved the pictures - it’s a pretty town.
Thanks for setting us straight on the facts…Hollywood always trying to fool us.
March 4th, 2008 at 4:46 pm
HA ha! Thanks, Stephanie. We worked on it! Savoca is beautiful. I really would like to go back!
Isn’t that funny, Nadine? It was about 5:30 or so on a Fri night.
March 4th, 2008 at 9:33 pm
Hi I’m really enjoying reading about your Sicilian adventure both here and over at bleeding espresso, are you guys working for the tourist board by any chance?
March 5th, 2008 at 12:42 am
SUCH fun! Can you believe I never even saw any of the Godfather movies until a couple of years ago. Shameful, I know. And to think you’re living it. Well, at least near it.
March 5th, 2008 at 4:49 am
Okay that photo of you and Michelle is priceless. ha!
March 5th, 2008 at 1:29 pm
It looks like you guys are having fun!
March 5th, 2008 at 10:28 pm
Beautiful pictures, Cherrye. I would love to go there and see it all in person. Glad to hear that you and Michelle had fun!
March 6th, 2008 at 6:11 am
You look like a couple of bad ass broads…and you were afraid of the mafia!
March 8th, 2008 at 1:48 am
What a wonderful trip! Great pictures! I’ve been to Venice…and aside from all the pigeons…would LOVE to return.
March 8th, 2008 at 3:55 pm
That is so neat!!
Thanks for the tour!
March 8th, 2008 at 4:16 pm
sounds like fun times!!
March 9th, 2008 at 8:07 pm
Wow!! These photos are gorgeous - I feel like I am there!
Cher - StardustLullaby.com
March 14th, 2008 at 9:10 am
You’re having too much fun and must have too much time to play. Thanks for the wonderful pics.
Whatcha thinking?