Savoca

A jewel of Norman times with a view of the sea and of Etna, Savoca was founded by a community of unknown origin, the Pentefur. Later, it was built upon in 1139 by Ruggero II, who united the ancient Saracen villages of the area, giving them a proper town with four districts, a castle, city walls and two ports, one of which can still be entered. The pretty streets reveal the stone façades of the buildings and the seven- teen sumptuous churches. In the underground of the Convento dei Cappuccini, you can visit the catacombs with the mummified remains of 32 notables of the village, representing a technique that was practised until 1876. And in 1971 Francis Ford Coppola filmed right here in this village several scenes of Il Padrino II. Memorabilia, photos and souvenirs from Holllywood are displayed in a small museum set up in a bar at the entrance to Savoca.