Pizza, Godfather Highlight Last Italian Ports of European Odyssey

Days 138-140, 2025 European Odyssey

Thursday to Saturday, Nov. 13-15, 2025; Messina, Naples and Civitavecchia, Italy.

I can thank my nephew Colton for getting me out of my “rut” of spending days in Sicily at Taormina. Not that I don’t love this village that clings high on the cliffs. During our last two stops this fall, I took the ship’s transfer to spend too-few hours exploring and sketching there.

But while Colton is very accommodating to my leisurely exploration of ports, I figured we could find something he would enjoy more. Following on our Game of Thrones tour in Dubrovnik, what else could we do in Sicily but visit filming sites from The Godfather?

We’re not alone. Movie tourism, or jet-setting, apparently has become a trend. And Taormina would have qualified, as its popularity has only grown after starring in the second season of White Lotus. But I know my nephew, and we chose Holland America’s “In the Footsteps of the Godfather” tour.

When director Francis Ford Coppola chose filming sites, he realized that the fictional Corleone family’s home town of the same name was too modern for the 1950s era. He instead chose small Sicilian villages that seemed stuck in time. We toured two of them: Savoca and Forza d’Agrò.

After a somewhat hair-raising climb through tight switchbacks, our bus dropped us in Savoca near the Bar Vitelli, where Michael Corleone asked Apollonia’s father for permission to marry her.

From there, it was a long walk up a steep narrow road to the scene of their wedding – the church of San Nicolò. It was under renovation, surrounded by scaffolding and wasn’t open, but the beauty of the walk was a trip back in time and worth the effort.

In this part of Sicily, you are never far from Mount Etna, which was smoking as usual today.

The village of Forza d’Agrò isn’t as time-locked, but its Church of Maria Santissima Annunziata appears in all three Godfather movies as the main church in the family home town of Corleone. I had time to sketch while the rest of our group ventured inside, and before we left, we enjoyed the local pizza in a plaza just below the church.

Speaking of pizza, the next day in Naples we couldn’t stop without sampling Neapolitan pizza in its birthplace. There are countless lists of the best and most authentic pizza in town, so we just chose one: Pizzeria Napoli in Bocca, a tiny restaurant with one outdoor table above the sidewalk. We snagged it and ordered two pizzas, which was one too many. Our room stewards were delighted with the leftovers.

The pizza was good, especially the chewy crust, but I’ll admit that I’m more a thin and crispy crust girl. Still, who can resist pizza in Naples?

At the huge Piazza del Plebiscito, between the royal palace and the Basilica of St. Francesco, temporary stands of seating blocked the immense view of the church. I settled for sketching a small segment, which probably made for a better result.

In front of the stands, a military unit and a small band were practicing, I presume, for an upcoming event. Before we left, parachutists jumped from a helicopter, landing in the square with their large colorful flags.

Sadly, at least for me, Colton had to pack Friday night, as his cruise was ending Saturday at our turnaround port of Civitavecchia. He’ll have three days to explore Rome before flying home.

I joined him on the shuttle bus Saturday from the cruise terminal to the train station a couple of miles away and treated him to an upgrade to first class on the express train to Termini, the main Rome station just a few blocks from his youth hostel.

Civitavecchia is an interesting town often overlooked by cruise passengers who tend to head to Rome for the day. With a 4:30 p.m. all-aboard, the ship didn’t offer any tours today for the hour-long trip to Rome.

When I was last here in April, friends Tom and Monika were having a wonderful antipasto plate when I passed by their outdoor café on a pedestrian street. I thought I would try it this time. The little shop – as much a gourmet grocery as a cafe – had a long line, and the proprietor indicated she didn’t speak much English. But she put together a nice plate for me, along with a glass of wine.

Before returning to the ship, I stopped to sketch the upper levels of Civitavecchia’s Cathedral Di San Franceso from the promenade across the street.

More friends joined the cruise in Civitavecchia for what for me is the last of these 10 cruises. We will stop in Spain, Gibraltar and the Azores before arriving in Florida at the end of month. I’m dreading packing, as usual.