Buon giorno, friends! This week, let me take you to the Southern part of Italy – Taormina! We’ll also go for The Godfather tour, where we’ll visit the famous Bar Vitelli and Sicilian villages 😍
I went to Italy in May 2024, right after my Croatia trip. It wasn’t because I had a big budget, but I had to, for the sake of getting a multiple-entry Schengen visa since there’s no Croatian embassy in KL 😅
Although I only watched The Godfather Part I, this tour was the highlight of my South Italy trip. I liked small Sicilian towns, with their cobbled-stone streets and classic stores.
What excited me the most was that I could dress up for The Godfather tour! Finally, I could channel the #mobwife fashion trend I read online 🤩🤩🤩
It was a small group tour (mixed with strangers) that departed from Taormina. The tour cost around RM200/person (45 USD/person) and last for 5 hours.
The tour guide, Marcello, picked us up from our hotel in a minivan and dropped all of us in the Taormina city center after the tour.
Actually, I made the decision to join The Godfather tour last-minute. I may not visit South Italy twice, so why not? Glad that I did it!
Alright, for the first stop, let’s visit Bar Vitelli, Savoca!
The Godfather Tour – Playing Mob Wife at Bar Vitelli, Savoca
Let me tell you a bit about myself. When I was a kid, I wanted to be a model. Alas, I didn’t grow taller 🥲
I used to wish I had a pointed nose too, like those beautiful models on the runway and in magazines…
Why didn’t I grow taller?? Not sure… But when I was in my mother’s womb, the doctor was also puzzled. He told my mom that I was as small as a bottle!😅
Fast forward to this era, I’m so happy that now we have social media, mobile phones with cameras, and tripods + Bluetooth remotes!
I’m not a model, but thanks to technology, I could be a model in my universe😄😄😄
To me, the highlight of The Godfather tour was Bar Vitelli in Savoca. It’s a bar where Michael Corleone asks Apollonia’s father for his blessings to marry her.
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Alright, back to the mob wife trend.
Basically, this fashion trend allows women to be badass – because they’re the mobsters’ wives! Think of animal prints, fur coats, leather, tight dresses, heels, bold jewelry, and glamour makeup 🖤🖤🖤
There’s no way I dress up like that Malaysia (unless there’s a special event). But in Italy, especially Bar Vitelli? It’s very reasonable!!
Sooo… despite the scorching heat, I wore my tight leopard dress, cardigan with faux fur, faux leather jacket, and black Mary Jane shoes. I also matched the colour of my hat and bag.
Can you imagine how stuffy it was for me? Well, at least I feel my photos are good! #satisfied 😆😆😆
Bar Vitelli is owned and run by an Italian family. Now, besides functioning as a bar, this 18th-century building is also a guest house.
There are some charming suites on the second floor, complete with an outdoor swimming pool and a terrace. Mamma mia!
The bar maintains the same interior and exterior design as it was in The Godfather movie, although there are more greens outside the bar – which is good. More shades for the customers!
Due to the popularity, you can’t just drop by, snap photos, and leave as if you were a real mafia. If you want to enter Bar Vitelli and snap some photos, you must order something, darling!😉
Like many popular tourist destinations, the food and drink at Bar Vitelli were higher compared to normal bars. My cafe latte was 5 euros (around RM25), but I think it was reasonable as they gave me a big glass.
The cakes looked good too! I drooled over the pistachio cake… but since I had only 1 hour to enjoy Bar Vitelli, I didn’t order any food.
While the others sat down and enjoyed the iconic atmosphere while sipping their drinks, I was busy taking photos. Luckily, at that time, there weren’t many customers!
Playing mob wife at Bar Vitelli was so fun! Since the seating area was outside the building, I could relax and pose as much as I liked because nobody stared at me.
The challenge was taking photos near the entrance, especially the area where Michael Corleone sat (see photo below).
I had to decide the angle and come up with different poses quickly, in case other customers wanted to take photos too. After I finished taking photos, suddenly a big group of The Godfather tour arrived at Bar Vitelli.
Wow, luckily I’d done with the photoshoot!
Other challenges were the weather and the road. I was the only one wearing three-layer clothes there 🥵🥵🥵 Luckily I didn’t wear high heels as the road is uphill.
Don’t ask me if my cafe latte was good. Err… I think so?
By the time I finished my photo shoot, it was 15 minutes before the group departed. I think it was okay but the coffee was a bit too strong, so I didn’t finish it.
Thank you, Marcello, for making Bar Vitelli the first stop of The Godfather tour! I had a great time and an uninterrupted photoshoot there 😊📸❤️
Also read: “Croatia Island Hopping: Makarska”
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The Godfather Tour – Visitting Forza d’Agrò
Next, we went to Forza d’Agrò! It’s a quiet village on top of a hill and a filming location for The Godfather movie.
Although on paper the location of The Godfather story is in Corleone town, Francis Coppola, the director, chose Forza d’Agrò and Savoca as the filming locations because they were less developed in the 70’s.
The road in Forza d’Agrò is narrow, good for walking and running, especially if you want to lose weight! Get ready for the uphill battle 😄
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Some churches in Forza d’Agrò were used as filming locations for The Godfather:
- The Church of Sant’Agostino (where Michael Corleone first arrived in Sicily)
- The Church of Santa Lucia (where Michael and Apollonia get married)
- The Church of the Santissima Annunziata (the background where Vito Corleone escaped from Sicily to the US)
According to Marcello, back then, the mafia and churches had a close relationship.
Whenever the police raid the mafia’s house, they couldn’t find a big sum of money as proof because… it was kept in a ‘special bank’ aka the churches!
Me: “Can they withdraw the money?”
Everyone: …
Oh, apparently, he meant the mafia made large donations to some churches to cover their track 😂😂😂
Another fun fact: one of the main actors of The Godfather (Marlon Brando/Al Pacino, sorry I forgot) stayed in this area for quite some time to learn the dialect, so he could have a perfect portrayal for the role.
Although this area is part of Italy, it has a different dialect and some words differ from the general Italian words. What dedication!! 🔥🔥🔥
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Exploring Taormina After The Godfather Tour
After the tour ended, Marcello was supposed to drop all of us at our hotel. But he said there was a problem with the minivan, so he dropped us in Taormina city center.
I was actually happy because I could explore the city center again! The first time I went there, it was raining so I couldn’t take many photos.
The only problem was… my legs were killing me. I walked up and down the hills for almost five hours in short heels! Luckily I didn’t wear a stiletto or high heels🥲🥲🥲
To be honest, I didn’t feel comfortable walking around Taormina like a mob wife because the fashion trend didn’t align with my character.
I felt… fake.
I didn’t want people to think that I was a spoiled girl on a shopping spree, because I knew that in reality, I was a budget traveller.
However… dressing up isn’t a crime, and if people have a wrong perception of me, it’s not my fault. Is this what people call ‘impostor syndrome’? Or do I lack confidence?
Alright, so the morale of my dilemma: don’t follow the trend, wear something that makes you comfortable, and don’t care about what people think of you (as long as you’re not scamming people).
Okay, this blog post is getting too long. In short, Taormina gives off a quiet, classic vibe where you can chill and enjoy Italian food and wine.
Even the luxury brand stores look very vintage in Taormina. For example, this Dior shop:
The most important thing to do in the city center is taste the best cannoli in Taormina! Before you enter the city center gate, turn to the left and walk a bit to find La Pignolata Guinness Cannoli Taormina.
If you’re worried getting fat, don’t worry! You can order mini cannolis, like I did. I ordered the original flavour (ricotta cheese) and pistachio flavour 😍😍😍
Ooh… this is what we call ‘heaven on earth’. Forget about calories, restart your diet after the trip!
Getting back to the hotel from Taormina city center is easy. The bus station is around 5-10 minutes walk from the city center. There were some buses with many stops.
The buses will depart according to the timetable, so it’s better to arrange your schedule accordingly. In my case, I had to wait for 1.5 hours. But that’s okay, there was a small cafe nearby 😉
I hope you enjoy The Godfather tour and our visit to Bar Vitelli, Forza d’Agrò, and Taormina. Have a sunny week ahead! 🌻🌻🌻
💖 15% OFF ALL TOURS! Click below and enter my discount code: 💖
CLARA15
Click “Add Promo Code / Voucher” and enter CLARA15 when you checkout at onelifeadventures.com
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