About Sicily

I have been asked many times where the White Lotus 2 series was shot in Sicily. That’s why I decided to write about it, and I hope it’s useful to you and your friends.
The vast majority of the scenes of The White Lotus 2 were filmed in Taormina: Corso Umberto, Piazza IX Aprile the main streets.

The star of the series is the hotel: The White Lotus Resort. It is the San Domenico Palace, a convent of the sixteenth century transformed into a hotel at the end of the nineteenth century. Here they stayed at the time of the Grand Tour: Oscar Wilde, Guy de Maupassant and DH Lawrence and, in the fifties, all the greatest stars of Hollywood : Greta Garbo, Marlene Dietrich, Ingrid Bergman, Audrey Hepburn, Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton. In 2019 the hotel was purchased by the Four Season chain and, after a two-year renovation, has finally reopened to the public.

The ancient theater of Taormina is the protagonist of the second episode. It was founded by the Greeks in the third century A.C. and is still used for concerts today.

Isola Bella an enchanting nature reserve. Accessed by stairs. In 1890 it was bought by Lady Florence Trevelyan, an English noblewoman and wife of the mayor of Taormina Salvatore Cacciola. The couple valued the island, building a small house and adding very rare plants and trees.

Castelmola: is not located in Taormina but about 3km further away. You can get there by shuttle or simply by car. This is where one of the characters does his daily run.

The series was also shot in Noto, the baroque town par excellence. In some shots of the third episode, you can also see two of the most iconic locations of Noto: the Cathedral of San Nicolò and Palazzo Ducezio, both in the World Heritage list (UNESCO). Noto is located about 150km from Taormina but just 30 km from Syracuse. Noto must not miss among your stops in Sicily.

Cefalù: elected among the most beautiful villages in Italy. Most of the scenes shot on the beach, such as those that open the first episode, were shot more than 200 kilometers away from Taormina. What you see is in fact the beach of Lido di Cefalù. Then, there is, Piazza Marina, one of the most fascinating views of Cefalù: sea, the small beach, the old fishermen’s houses and the ancient Megalithic Walls create a magical environment. The cathedral of Cefalù is the symbol of the city. It is also included in the World Heritage List (UNESCO).

Theaters: In the episode “That’s Amore” Tanya will attend a performance of the opera Madama Butterfly at the Teatro Massimo in Palermo. In this theater, one of the most beautiful among those present in Sicily, the final part of The Godfather Part 3 had already been filmed. On his staircase, a desperate Michael Corleone abandons himself to a scream that has entered the history of cinema. For the interior scenes was used the Teatro Vincenzo Bellini in Catania, another jewel that is worth to be seen.

Castle of the slaves (castello degli schiavi): one of the locations of the film the godfather. The castle can be visited only by appointment and only for groups.

The scenes of the episode, That’s Amore, were also filmed at Planeta’s Sciaranuova estate. It is located in Castiglione di Sicilia, a small village at the foot of the volcano that is part of the most beautiful villages in Italy. The winery organizes various types of wine tastings and typical products in combination with experiences of various types (ask us for more information).

The villas where other scenes from the series were filmed. Villa Tasca in Palermo, a residence of the ‘500. Villa Elena located outside Noto. It is a former monastery of the seventeenth century that the interior designer Jacques Garcia bought and renovated.
With this, we conclude this brief presentation of the locations of the White Lotus2 series and hope it has been useful to fans of this series.

If you want to visit these places together with us, we will be happy to help you plan your trip to Sicily. We are a local tour operator, of Sicilians, and we collaborate with guides, drivers and many other suppliers that will help make your Sicilian experience unique.