See yourself in The White Lotus? Travel to idyllic Taormina, Sicily loved by Elizabeth Taylor, Audrey Hepburn, Sophia Loren, and a TikTok-driven TV tourism hotspot thanks to HBO’s black comedy series

Jun 21 , 2023

An aerial view of Mount Etna at sunset from Taormina in Sicily, Italy. Photo: Shutterstock

The area is the backdrop to season two of the hit show starring Jennifer Coolidge and Haley Lu Richardson, was in The Godfather and reportedly inspired D.H. Lawrence’s Lady Chatterley’s Lover

Domenico Dolce of Dolce & Gabbana is Sicilian and debuted the fashion label’s 2012 Alta Moda project in the tourist town with its fair share of Fendi, Dior and Patek Philippe boutiques

On a resort’s private beach in Taormina, Sicily, a guest goes for one last dip in the glittering Ionian Sea at the end of her holiday. Behind her on the sand sit a pair of fellow visitors she’d been enthusing to, assuring them that they’re bound to have an amazing trip on the Italian island. During her relaxing swim though she makes a shocking discovery.

So begin the events of season two of The White Lotus, the hit HBO black comedy set in the idyllic resort town on the island’s east coast, charting the intrigue, infidelity and other indiscretions committed by the ultra-wealthy – played by Jennifer Coolidge, returning from season one, along with Aubrey Plaza, Haley Lu Richardson and others – that holiday there. In reality, you’re likely to experience no more drama than trying to scoop up your last bite of granita before your accompanying brioche gets cold.

Sprawling views of Taormina, Italy with Mount Etna in the distance. Photo: Belmond

But the hilltop destination boasts a rich history of inspiring creatives of all stripes, from writers to film directors. Before The White Lotus – whose finale gripped over four million viewers last December – parts of The Godfather were filmed there. D.H. Lawrence is believed to have got the idea for Lady Chatterley’s Lover while living there between 1920 and 1923. Johann Wolfgang von Goethe waxed poetic about its Teatro Antico, or Greek Theatre, and Dolce & Gabbana’s Alta Moda project debuted there in 2012. (Domenico Dolce himself is Sicilian.)

Jennifer Coolidge in the finale episode of White Lotus season two, which was set largely in Taormina, Sicily, Italy. Photo: Handout

And then there’s the romantic and oft-repeated story about German painter Otto Geleng, who visited in 1863 and created a sweeping panorama of Taormina featuring the sea, olive tree-dotted slopes and the Greek Theatre, with Mount Etna looming in the distance. When he showed his work to his colleagues in Paris, they believed he’d simply imagined the views that he’d depicted. He urged them to visit, even betting them that if the reality of Taormina differed at all from his work, he’d pay for their travel expenses. History records he won the bet.

The entrance of the Grand Hotel Timeo, A Belmond Hotel, Taormina looking onto Via Teatro Greco. Photo: Belmond

Centuries later, those same tableaux have been splashed far and wide across influencers’ Instagram feeds, prompting travel envy in all who scroll through them. In the same spot where Geleng created his masterpieces stands the Grand Hotel Timeo, A Belmond Hotel, Taormina only a decade or so younger than the paintings and celebrating its 150th anniversary this year. What was originally a humble, family-run bed and breakfast has grown into a grand, five-star property, part of the LVMH-owned Belmond’s portfolio, and frequented in the past by the likes of Elizabeth Taylor, Audrey Hepburn and Sophia Loren. The sweeping, intricate gowns of 19th century aristocrats have given way to influencer Jenny Walton’s Rodarte dress with a yellow flower print to match the surroundings, and Alexis Foreman’s on-trend monochrome look. They join the rest of the TikTok-friendly glitterati who gather in numbers on the hotel terrace to toast the century-and-a-half with glasses of Veuve.

Taormina’s Greek Theatre in Sicily. Photo: Tim Pile