All photos unless otherwise stated: Per-Erik Skramstad © Wondersofsicily.com
Season 2 of 'The White Lotus' was shot on various spectacular locations in Sicily. The main location is the San Domenico Palace, Taormina (the hotel room scenes, though, were filmed in a studio near Rome). The beach scenes were filmed in Cefalù, with the Norman cathedral as a backdrop. More locations included Noto and Palermo.
Photo above: Taormina up in the hills as seen from Naxos. The village on top of the hill to the left is Castelmola.
In the series, you get a feeling that the beach is close to the hotel the characters are staying at, but in fact, there's a two hour car ride between the beach and the hotel!
Taormina
SanDomenicoPalace
TheGreekTheatre
IsolaBella
PortaMessina
Noto
Cefalù
VillaElena
Palermo
CastellodegliSchiavi
Links
Cast
Golden Globe Award to The White Lotus and Jennifer Coolidge
Taormina
San Domenico Palace, Taormina, A Four Seasons Hotel
San Domenico Palace, Taormina. Exterior scenes were filmed at the hotel, while the hotel room scenes were filmed in a studio.
The main location in the second season of The White Lotus is the luxury hotel San Domenico Palace, Taormina. This hotel is also an important location in Antonioni’s masterpiece, L’avventura. A scene from Michelangelo Antonioni’s masterpiece L’avventura is seen above, featuring Gabriele Ferzetti.
More shots of Taormina and its vicinity
This phallic rock is seen during Lucia and Albie’s night conversation at the beach (The White Lotus S02E06). Also in episode 2 (21:10). You can get a closer look at it if you take a boat trip to the grottos from the Taormina beach.
The Greek Theatre in Taormina
The Greek Theatre (episode 2, 26:58-28:53)
The Greek Theatre (episode 2, 26:58-28:53)
Isola Bella
Isola Bella appears several times, and is the scene of Meghann and Ethan’s mysterious walk after Ethan says that something might have happened between his wife and Meghann’s husband.
Isola Bella seen from Taormina.
Porta Messina
Lucia and Albie are eating ice cream as they walking the Corso Umberto near Porta Messina. There they meet Lucia’s boy friend (or pimp?), Alessio.
Cefalù
The beach where Meghann Fahy swims out to discover a body (The White Lotus S02E01) has Cefalù town with its magnificent Norman Cathedral and the mountain called Rocca di Cefalù in the background. The beach in the series appears to be close to San Domenico Palace Hotel, but in reality it is more than 200 kilometers between the hotel and the beach.
In episode 6, Jack (Leo Woodall) and Haley Lu Richardson (Portia) goes to Cefalù. There are several beautiful shots of the fishermen’s houses at the old port, some major tourist attractions – like the 12th century Norman Cathedral – and drone shots of Cefalù town.
Portia and Jack watch the fishermen’s houses as they talk about life at the breakwater.
Portia and Jack are sitting on a bench while they are talking about whether life sucks or not during their stay in Cefalù.
Noto
In episode 3, Daphne (Meghann Fahy) takes Harper (Aubrey Plaza) on an excursion to Noto.
At 33:48 of episode 3 there is a shot by shot quotation of the famous scene in Antonioni’s L’avventura when Claudia (Monica Vitti) is waiting for Sandro (Gabriele Ferzetti).
Claudia (Monica Vitti) is surrounded by men as she is waiting for Sandro (Gabriele Ferzetti) by the steps of Chiesa di San Francesco d'Assisi all'Immacolata, which is the first church you see after entering Porta Reale in Noto. The scene is quoted almost image by image in the third episode of The White Lotus season 2.
Villa Elena
Quentin’s “villa in Palermo” is in reality Villa Elena, located near Noto. In the 17th century it was a monastery.
Palermo
The grand entrace of Teatro Massimo, Palermo’s famous opera house.
Teatro Massimo: In episode 5, Quentin (Tom Hollander) and his gay friends take Tanya (Jennifer Coolidge) to the opera to see Madama Butterfly by Puccini.
Villa Tasca, Palermo
The villa Daphne (Meghann Fahy) and Harper (Aubrey Plaza) stays in during their visit to Noto is actually the spectacular Villa Tasca on the road from Palermo to Monreale. Villa Tasca was originally built in the 16th century. Many famous people have visited the villa: Richard Wagner, Giuseppe Verdi, King Ferdinand IV and Queen Caroline, Bismarck, Margherita di Savoia and Jacqueline Kennedy.
Richard Wagner visited Villa Tasca on 21 November 1881. His wife Cosima Wagner mentions the visit in her diaries:
“21 November 1881: In the morning R. [Richard Wagner] begins a letter to the King, in the afternoon we drive to the Villa Tasca, which is charming and pleases R. greatly.” (Cosima Wagner: Diaries)
Read more: Richard Wagner in Sicily 1881–1882…
Castello degli Schiavi (Fiumefreddo di Sicilia). In episode 3 the Di Grasso guys and Portia goes to see Godfather locations
Castello degli Schiavi (near Fiumefreddo di Sicilia)
Castello degli Schiavi (near Fiumefreddo di Sicilia) is the villa Michael Corleone stays in when he is in exile after he murders Sollozzo and McCluskey. In episode 3 of The White Lotus S02 the Di Grasso guys and Portia goes to see Godfather locations. During their excursionthey stop by Castello degli Schiavi.
The Cast
Jennifer Coolidge (Tanya McQuoid)
Jon Gries (Greg Hunt)
Eleonora Romandini (Isabella, the receptionist)
Federico Ferrante (Rocco, receptionist)
Sabrina Impacciatore (Valentina, the manager of San Domenico Palace)
F. Murray Abraham (Bert Di Grasso)
Michael Imperioli (Dominic Di Grasso)
Adam DiMarco (Albie Di Grasso)
Aubrey Plaza (Harper Spiller)
Will Sharpe (Ethan Spiller)
Theo James (Cameron Sullivan)
Meghann Fahy (Daphne Sullivan)
Simona Tabasco (Lucia, the prostitute)
Beatrice Grannò (Mia, the wannabe singer)
Haley Lu Richardson (Portia, Tanya’s assistant)
Leo Woodall (Jack, the English guy in the gay gang)
Tom Hollander (Quentin)
Aurora Quattrocchi (the Di Grasso woman in the countryside)
Where was The White Lotus season 2 filmed?
Castelmola
Cefalù beach and seafront promenade (lungomare)
Cefalù Cathedral (seen in the background in many of the shots from the beach)
Cefalù town
Castello degli schiavi, Fiumefreddo
Etna (seen in the background in many shots from Taormina)
Noto: Chiesa di San Francesco d'Assisi all'Immacolata
Noto area: The Di Grasso scene with Aurora Quattrocchi in the countryside
Palermo: Teatro Massimo (opera house)
Palermo: Villa Tasca, Palermo
Planeta Wine, Castiglione - Sciaranuova
Taormina: San Domenico Palace Hotel
Taormina: The ancient Theatre
Taormina - Unahotels Capotaormina
Music
Aloha! (composer: Cristobal Tapia De Veer). Main Title Theme of The White Lotus
Rosa Balistreri - Cu ti lu dissi (episode 3)
Piccolo Piccolo
That's Amore (composer: Harry Warren, lyricist: Jack Brooks)
Season 1 of 'The White Lotus' was shot in Hawaii at the luxury resort Four Seasons Resort Maui and on other locations on Maui and Wailea Beach.
Links
L’avventura (Michelangelo Antonioni, 1960)
Michelangelo Antonioni (1912-2007)
Will Sharpe interview. The actor Will Sharpe talks to Alice Jones about ‘hot melancholy’, impostor syndrome and honing his dark side. (The Times)
The 'sexy' reality behind Sicily's 'White Lotus' hotel (CNN Travel)
Acireale - Agrigento - Castelbuono - Catania - Cefalù - Enna - Erice - Modica - Monreale - Noto - Palermo - Ragusa Ibla - Segesta - Selinunte - Taormina - Syracuse (Siracusa) - Trapani -
