If you’ve wanted to visit Sicily but haven’t had the chance yet, watch HBO’s “The White Lotus” instead. It’s a stirring comedy-drama series about people behaving badly, but a visual feast of sunshine, luxury and self-indulgence. The views are incredible: the cliff on which the hotel stands, the sea and beach below, and Mount Etna, the smoldering volcano, looming in the background.
Created by Mike White, it follows the guests and employees of the fictional resort chain whose stay is punctuated by various dysfunctions they bring with them. The first season was set in Hawaii, but the second season is set in Taormina, Sicily. The series details “a week in the life of vacationers as they relax and rejuvenate in paradise. With each passing day, a darker complexity emerges in these picture-perfect travelers, the hotel’s cheerful employees, and the idyllic locale itself.”
Intended as a six-part limited series, The White Lotus premiered on July 11, 2021, to critical acclaim and high ratings. The first season was the most-awarded series at the 74th Primetime Emmy Awards, winning ten awards in the limited series categories.
The real-life hotel that stands in for the White Lotus Sicily is the historic San Domenico Palace in Taormina. According to Architectural Digest, the hotel is a “clifftop retreat” that overlooks the Ionian Sea, and includes views of the ancient Greek theater, Teatro Antico di Taormina, as well as the active Mount Etna volcano. The former 14th-century Dominican convent was first converted into a hotel in 1896, and has a history of hosting Hollywood stars, including Audrey Hepburn, Elizabeth Taylor, and Sophia Loren.
The posh resort was initially constructed during the 14th century as a private home for wealthy Taormina local Baron, Damiano Rosso d’Altavilla. In 1430, following his death, the sprawling clifftop estate, the oldest in the area, was temporarily bequeathed to the Dominican religious order for use as a convent. It continued to operate as such for more than 400 years until ownership was ultimately reverted to one of Rosso d’Altavilla’s descendants, Prince Cerami, who added a large wing to the property and transformed it into a luxurious hotel.
Opened to the public in 1896, the former convent proved an idyllic spot for a lodging. As a 1907 article extolled, “The old monks would no doubt be surprised could they look in on their old home and see the commodious cells comfortably furnished, heated by steam and lit with electricity and gas. The large refectory makes a fine dining room with loggia where on fine days breakfast is served, the cloisters and garden, now a beautiful park, delightful places in which to sit and exercise in during the day, in rain or shine, while the 300-foot corridors, wide and furnished with numerous tables and chairs are comfortable as promenades or social halls.”
Of choosing the locale, series creator Mike White said, “I think Sicily is the perfect place for romance and sexual politics . . . When we saw the Four Seasons in Taormina, it was just such a beautiful location and it just sold this kind of Old World European Summer vacation.”
It’s not the first time that the San Domenico is featured in a film, a couple of other productions have also been shot at the resort. The most notable: Sandro (Gabriele Ferzetti) and Claudia (Monica Vitti) attend a party at San Domenico Palace in Michelangelo Antonioni’s 1960 film “L’Avventura” and the 2021 version of “Cyrano” takes place there too..
In upcoming episodes the guests visit glorious Noto, known for its baroque architecture, the town of Taormina where the hotel is situated, and Palermo as well.
