Good morning! We have reached the port in Taormina, Sicily and what a day we have planned! Today it is all about the Godfather! First, we are going to the tiny village of Savoca, (population less than two thousand) and Vitelli’s Bar, where Micheal asked permission to marry Appollonia, in the movie, Godfather II. And, then we’ll be visiting the church where they were married and on and on! It’s going to be All Godfather for the next couple of posts…………so stay tuned! It looks like it’s going to be another day all up hill, so let’s get going! Before we get off the boat here’s a good look of Mt Etna! No, it’s not erupting, but the cloud right there makes it look like it is!

The hillside looks awfully desolate, doesn’t it?

Once on shore we can look back and see the ship……..

Just like many passengers before us did…….

Walking along the shore to get to our awaiting buses the scenery is just captivating…… I think I could wake up to this each morning, how about you?

Ok, now we’re on the bus and headed up!

and up………..

and up…….the road is very narrow and curvy.  Thank goodness no one was coming down the mountain at this time a day!

Finally, we reached Savoca!

Quite festive here with the Italian flags waving in the breeze! The iron works remind me of Christmas decorations, but it is August, so maybe they are left up year round…… It does give the village a festive feel…….

They are all over this tiny hilltop town!

One of the famous sets in Godfather II was the Bar Vitelli, where Micheal sat outside with his bodyguards and asked Appollonia’s father for permission to marry her…….remember that scene? Well, here is Bar Vitelli, which is actually housed inside the eighteenth century Palazzo Trimarchi.

and inside all the greenery it looks like this………..

very busy spot……..

There are photos inside of that very famous scene……….

and the goodies served in the bar look like this……..

I must look around at all the mementos………….

But, the bar’s specialty is the lemon drink called the granita ca’ zzuccarata, because the drink is served with a locally prepared biscuit with sesame seeds. Well, I must have one of those to keep my energy up, because I do believe we are headed up the steep hill to the famous church, St Nicolo/ St Lucia, where Micheal and Appollonia were married! See you there!