Patricia della Giovampoala’s “The White Lotus” vacation in Taormina

Taormina is going through a rediscovery thanks to the white lotusone of the three series that has the most nominations at the 2023 Emmy Awards, along with Succession and The last of us. Beyond the story that is presented in the last season, that city of Sicily is one more protagonist. And that placed Taormina in the sights of new visitors such as Patricia della Giovampoala who, even though she was Italian –and also Argentine– had never traveled to that city until the white lotus encouraged her to meet her.

—Why did you choose Taormina?

—I’ve always wanted to go to see that part of Sicily, and I could never go. But then I saw White Lotus and…..

– In which chapter? the white lotus Did you decide to visit Taormina and that hotel in particular?

-In the first. It was January, I was in Uruguay, and I immediately said to myself: “I’m going in June!” I organized everything, booked and searched for a flight to Catania… not easy at all!

—Being Italian, was this trip your first time there?

-Yes, totally

“And what did you think?”

—The truth is a dream place. The town, the surroundings, and the hotel where The White Lotus was filmed.

—If you had been there, why would you have to visit Taormina?

—The geographical position, with the Etna volcano on one side; the sea in front of a deep blue; the town is divine, with tiny streets, the amphitheatre… And let’s not forget that we are in one of the areas of sicily where I film The Godfather! The others are Messina, Catania and also Palermo.

while you were at the hotel the white lotus Did you remember “this or that scene was filmed here”?

-All the time. She expected to see the girls at the bar, the pianist playing, the receptionist—Sabrina Impacciatore—in the foyer. The only thing missing was the beach. The hotel, due to its location quite high up in Taormina, does not have access to the beach. He explained to me that the beaches where it was filmed the white lotus They are those of Cefalù, a coastal town 112 kilometers from Taormina. That was a little disappointment.

—Was there a place in the hotel that interested you especially in the series?

—The beach… that didn’t exist

-What was your favorite place?

—The gardens that are incredible. All very cared for and absolutely wonderful. Also the pool, completely renovated this year by Dolce & Gabbana, in blue and white colors, with their typical drawing, which they call Maioliche.

Did you run into someone famous?

-Yeah, Harrison Ford was staying next door to my room. He was in Taormina to present his latest Indiana Jones at the local film festival. and they were also Cecilia Boloco with her husband (N. de la R: José “Pepe” Patricio Daire).

—What things should not stop doing in Taormina?

—Walking around Corso Umberto to look at the shops; eat at a table in via Naumachia, in the Taberna al Paladino. And also try raw fish such as tartare or carpaccio… All fresh of the day! Don’t forget to have a lemoncello or a coffee granita.

—If you had to take a playlist; the songs they chose for the white lotusare they recommended?

—As a good Italian, I can tell you that the music of the series was very well chosen. To put songs by authors like Fabrizio de André, you have to know. But my theme for e San Domenico is “Luglio”, by Riccardo del Turco.

—In the first chapter of the white lotusThe hotel manager tells a guest whose luggage was lost in Rome that he shouldn’t have changed in Fiumicino… Is that good advice?

-The best!. But it must be said that the flights direct to Catania – plus an hour to Taormina – are few and bad. The airport is chaos, despite having excellent pizza stands on the way. Yes, there are low cost flights from the big European capitals, but they are very unreliable due to delays and cancellations. But one of the hotel managers told me with great pride: “You know, we started having direct flights from Dubai.”