Corleone Grand Gateway

Godfather villa

Embark on our most requested themed tour, and experience firsthand the “old world” charm of Sicily represented in “The Godfather” film trilogy.

Two options are offered (half or full day), and both adventures start with you in the driver’s seat of a Classic Fiat 500! Drive through historic and picturesque Sicily, as our professional tour guides accompany you in a separate vehicle, highlighting sights and scenes from the movie and more.

Your journey begins with an exploration of Savoca, the historic town that is the backdrop of several “Godfather” pivotal moments. See where Michael Corleone & his bride Appollonia’s love story began, go back in time as you wander the streets that lead to the San Nicolo church, the Bar Vitelli and other town features that have been preserved in time. This unique experience provides countless scenic backdrops and vistas for your personalized photos.

The tour continues with a stop for lunch at a charming venue where you can enjoy a taste of Sicilian fare while taking in the local lifestyle. Post-lunch, rev up your Fiat 500 for a scenic drive to the legendary “Villa Corleone”. This historic estate also known as Castle of Slaves (Castello degli Schiavi) served as the backdrop for some of the most memorable scenes in The Godfather. Unveil its cinematic and wartime significance with the dwelling owner Baron Franco Platania personally guiding you, providing relevant details and anecdotes.

After exploring the Villa, refreshments will be enjoyed before hopping back into your Classic Fiat 500 for another scenic drive that returns to your hotel in Taormina / Giardini Naxos or starting point.

The full tour as described above is approximately 6 hours. The Villa Corleone estate only tour is also offered with a duration of 3 hours and includes refreshments without stopping for lunch.

Things to note

Departures

Every Day (except Sunday)

Duration

The full day tour is 6 hours. The “Villa Corleone” estate tour is 3 hours.

Pick-up

Hotel or easy meeting points in
Taormina (Point 1) – (Point 2) and Giardini Naxos (Point 3)

Typology

Private tour – Number of person: minimun 2 Adults

Included

Full Day: Lunch – Tickets – Welcome drinks / Half Day: Tickets – Welcome drinks

Seats

2 adults ( or 2 adults and 2 children) in each Fiat 500

Some places you will visit during the Corleone Grand Gateway:

Castle of the Slaves – Fiumefreddo

About 20 minutes driving from Taormina, this “Castle of Slaves” is one of the most evocative buildings of the whole Sicily island. It is a private house but also a fascinating museum with a lots of documents, books, images, objects and memorabilia of the Godfather film. Today is pretty much the same as it appears in the motion picture.

Castle of the Slaves – Fiumefreddo
godfather bar vitelli

Bar Vitelli Tour – Savoca

In the Godfather’s motion picture Bar Vitelli was featured as the place where Michael Corleone (Al Pacino) meets Mr. Vitelli (the bar owner) and asks his permission to court his daughter Apollonia (Simonetta Stefanelli), and also for the official engagement and for the party after the wedding cerimony. While in town “a must” is the stop for a Lemon Granita in this famous bar.

Church of the Godfather Wedding – Savoca

Next stop is the Church of Santa Lucia, where the scene of the wedding between Michael Corleone and Apollonia Vitelli was shot. This place was also used for the the scene when Michael and Apollonia, just married, walk down from the church, followed by their families and by the music brass band.

Charming Sicilian Lunch – Savoca

Charming Sicilian Lunch – Savoca

A traditional Sicilian lunch tasting all locally produced organic fresh food (such as cheese, salami, bruschetta, olives, dried tomatoes, mushrooms, vegetables), pasta alla norma, roasted sausage, domestic olive oil and home-made bread.

More information

Our self-drive tour on themed itinerary will show you unveiled Sicily and its secrets.
You will drive one of our classic and convertible Fiat 500 following our tour leader car that will be driven by our staff.
A fun and professional fully licensed English-speaking tour guide will lead you through this fascinating trip.

Don’t forget to bring your driver’s license with you. To drive in Italy you need an EU driving licence, or an International Driving Permit, which is a translation of your non EU licence.

All drivers must be able to drive using a manual clutch / trasmission (stick shift gears). Occasional driving experience with manual cars is not enough to handle our vintage cars.

Infant under 3 years of age are not admitted to the car tour. Children 3-12 years old in the same car of parents are free.

Our “La Dolce Vita – Sunset Tour” usually starts at 4.30pm (available from June to September).

Usually this sunset tour themed on “La Dolce Vita” lasts about 3 hours and half.
If you are a group and you have more time to spend we can arrange a customized full day tour according to your needs.

The most important Sicilian scenes of the Godfather trilogy were filmed in Savoca, Forza d’Agrò and in Fiumefreddo di Sicilia but not in Corleone (as many believe).

Corleone, near Palermo in Sicily, was too modern and developed even in the early 70s to be used for filming a story dated back to the early 1950s.

Castello degli schiavi ( Castle of the Slaves ) is a private house but we can also arrange this visit thanks to the good collaboration between our company and the owner.