4 Best Sights in Savoca, Sicily

Though the bar first opened in 1962—and the building has been around since the 1400s—this little café didn't gain worldwide popularity until Francis Ford Coppola chose it as the setting of significant scenes in The Godfather. In fact, prior to Coppola, the bar didn't even have an official name. He chose "Bar Vitelli" for his fictional café, had the name painted on the exterior wall, and the name has stuck for decades. Here, Michael Corleone famously asked Apollonia to marry him. And most street scenes where Michael is seen walking up the road were filmed on the building's side. The interior of the café functions as a small museum of the filming that happened in Savoca, with film stills and photos throughout. Outside, small tables sit under fairy lights and an arbor of vines. Be sure to order a lemon granita with a splash of Zibbibo, a sweet dessert wine. And though the rest of Sicily serves granita with brioche, here you'll find lightly sweetened "zuccarata" cookies. 

Nobles of the 17th and 18th centuries in this area opted to have their corpses mummified. You can visit the somewhat creepy crypt, located beneath a 17th-century Capuchin monastery, to see their preserved remains and hand-woven silk garments. The catacombs are technically open daily (from 9:30 am to 7:30 pm), but it's advised to call ahead to be sure that someone is actually on-site to let you in.

Built in the 13th century, this church was renovated at the end of the 15th century, the beginning of the 18th century (perhaps due to damage from an earthquake), and most recently in 1981. From the Middle Ages up through the 19th century, it offered a final resting place to common citizens of Savoca. It's also known as the Chiesa di Santa Lucia, because of the silver statue of St. Lucia it houses, in addition to other sculptures and paintings from the nearby 15th-century church of St. Lucia that collapsed in a landslide in 1880. In popular culture, it's best known as the church where Michael Corleone wed Apollonia in The Godfather.

Throughout Savoca you'll see works by steel artist Nino Ucchino, such as the now-iconic sculpture of Francis Ford Coppola behind his camera and an amusing talking donkey. You can visit his studio, perched on the hillside on the road into town, to see the master at work or buy some of his creations. He's there in his studio most afternoons, but it's smart to call ahead to be sure he's available.