From Messina Cruise Terminal: Private Godfather Tour + Lunch

We are great fans of the movie and hearing Bruno, our tour guide. reveal the inside stories made it more thrilling. He was so knowledgeable and took time answering our questions. He was kind and generous and was patient with the pace that was comfortable for us. We appreciated the motorized carriage that took us to the church high up in the hill where the wedding took place. There were photos during the filming for sale at €6 each. Bruno took us to a restaurant that served a tasteful and filling meal with a fantastic view which was the perfect ending. We asked a 10am to 4pm schedule and we got back to our rooms right on the dot. Highly recommended!

We had a decidedly mixed experience on this tour. Savoca and Forza d’Agro are absolutely spectacular. No fan of the Godfather should miss seeing these gorgeous villages, and even those who aren’t deeply attached to the story can appreciate the timeless beauty, the jaw-dropping views, and the other history of the region. Our guide, to his credit, was extremely knowledgeable about all of that. He knows the movies almost to the frame, as well as much of the behind-the-scenes context. He is born and raised in the area, so can speak thoughtfully about the films’ place in the region’s culture and the controversies they evoke among locals. However, we found our particular guide under-developed and lacking some polish. To begin, he was nearly 30 minutes late to meet us. He had also forgotten his phone, so calls and messages to him went unanswered. We even had trouble reaching the tour operator until we asked Viator for help. When he did show up, because he had forgotten his phone, he didn’t have our name… he was wandering the area with a hand-scrawled sign that said “Godfather Tour,” and luckily we had his cellphone number - that let us validate he was actually the guide we were waiting for. To make amends, he wanted to take us for coffee and pastry at a bakery near his home on the way to Forza d’Agro. While thoughtful, this ended up being somewhat awkward of a detour. Likewise, between Forza d’Agro and Savoca, he wanted to stop home to retrieve his phone. Maybe all this could be overlooked, but he also needs some coaching as a guide. We have taken dozens of tours around the world - through Viator and other services - and this was the first guide we’ve had who was unable to hold a real conversation. Instead, he spoke nonstop, almost without taking a breath, for 20 or 30 minutes at a time over the five hour tour - literally 20 or 30 minutes without anyone else speaking a word. It was great that he knew to take us to the church in Savoca (where Michael married Apollonia) just at noon, when they play Ave Maria in the square. But we actually had to shush the man from talking over this beautiful moment of hearing the music and taking in the view. By the time he drove us back to the port in Messina, we were almost dizzy from his chatter. With his knowledge and sweetness and good cheer, he can surely learn to be a great guide if he learns to engage in some dialogue and sometimes let a moment breathe and speak for itself.

We had such a great day in Sicily! Omar our tour guide was fantastic. Beautiful coastline, roads and tunnels that cut through the hillsides…the views were breathtaking. We love The Godfather movies so walking through the village of Savoca where the movies were filmed was a blast! 🎥🍿🇮🇹 “I respect those who tell me the truth no matter how hard it is.” — Michael Corleone

Bruno was the best guide ever! His love of Sicily exudes and it shines through. This experience is worth every penny! Thank you Bruno!!!!

A must see authentic Godfather tour. The people of Sicily were amazing. We especially enjoyed Mauricio’s our wonderful driver and guide’s expertise on the godfather & mafia history, the scenic mountain top views of the near distant towns of Taormina, Calabria and Mt Etna. The visit to Bar Vitelli and the church where Michael & Appolina were married was special as the church bells rang and playing to the music of Ave Maria. A most impressive wine and luncheon experience is something we will carry in our hearts back to the USA. To top off our excursion we were taken to a beach bar for a toast of limoncello and granita. Excellent driver, personal and we had a great experience. We recommend asking for Mauricio.

Such an enjoyable day! Marco is a man with a wealth of knowledge about The Godfather and the area. The views were breathtaking! Well worth the money for the day!

Comfortable transportation with good driver. Full day with an excellent guide, Davide. Very knowledgeable about each of the placed visited and their role in history as well as the Godfather trilogy. Lunch was at a family owned restaurant where everything was fresh made and delicious.

Everything was amazing. Marco was the best! We got to see some really cool filming locations from all three movies and enjoyed a private lunch in a family owned restaurant.

From the moment we were picked up and met Marco I knew this was going to be a special day and we were right. Marco took us to all the sites and explained everything along the way. He took us to this amazing restaurant, Sikania, for lunch which was amazing. I highly recommend this tour.

Maurizio was our driver very kind professional and knowledgeable of Sicily. The towns the Godfather was filmed in were so rustic and breathtaking!! We took our time to walk around and take in the history and beauty of these places. The movie history and sites just add to the experience!! Loved everything! Maurizio also setup a private lunch at an authentic Sicilian restaurant SIKANAI, the owner cooked and served us a delicious (the best!) beautiful meal and the view was spectacular. We’re still in awe of this tour.. just ask for Maurizio he’s the best! Just go, see what the Coppola vision was you won’t regret it!

Passion, knowledge and joy. That’s Marco! What an amazing, intimate experience we had on the Godfather tour. He also had perfect photo opportunities for my husband and I. We visited several places from the movie including the iconic church where Michael married Apollonia. He took us to a very local restaurant where we truly had the best lunch and VIEW. on our way back to our cruise port, we stopped at a Food festival and shared huge, delicious Cannoli’s together. Perfecto! If we ever come back to Sicily, which I hope we do, we will definitely see to reconnect with Marco and see more of this beautiful city! Thank you Marco - highly Recommend!

What a fun tour experience with Bruno! He was waiting for us outside the cruise ship terminal for the drive to the small village of Savoca. The Sicilian scenes of The Godfather were filmed in Savoca, now a daytime tour destination in Italy. Here we visited the famous Bar Vitelli where Michael asked Apollonia's father to marry. We also ventured up the mountain to the Church of San Nicolò. Although no scenes were filmed inside the 13th century facade (church vs Mafia connection), we marveled at the beautiful scenery below as well as enjoyed allowance into the church with interesting displays. Afterwards, we had a little time to shop in the very picturesque historic center with narrow streets and historical buildings from the Middle Ages. We four friends enjoyed the private tour which allowed us more time (INSIDE) locations compared to group tours. The tour price was quite more expensive than other tours we enjoyed on our 12-day trip (with even more extra fees for refreshments and a ride up the steep hill to the church). We wished more Godfather sites had been included, particularly the sites where the auto explosion scene occurred. Still 50 years later, we reminisced about the blockbuster produced by Francis Ford Coppola with a limited budget, starring lone super star Marlon Brando (followed by several young actors who subsequently became overnight sensations). The lunch was nothing to brag about, but the scenery was spectacular. This private tour has limited availability for a few friends or family members, so grab it while it lasts.

We just retuned from your tour with Bruno. He was amazing. Bruno was born and raised in the villages he took as to. He spoke very good English and knew all the locals. He taught us so much not only about the Godfather movie films but about the history of Sicily. He was an excellent communicator before the tour and during. We went to 3 villages involved in the filming and a 4th for lunch. The lunch was incredible, fresh, and the perfect local experience! I would take this tour again! Beautiful island! Great job Bruno!

Our Guide “Mauricio” was THE BEST! We loved every minute. THANK YOU! THANK YOU. He knew the history and he took great care of us

Mauricio was out guide and he was very friendly and knowledgeable. He was really good because he gave us our own time to look around but also gave us all the information we needed we were gone 5 hours and it didn’t feel like it 👍🏻

Our first time in Sicily… And it was wonderful. At first, the tour sounded a little touristy, but it truly was a great tour and terrific day. We visited sites where parts of the movie were filmed, and other sites along the way. I asked our guide to plan a stop for lunch, and not only was the food excellent, but the view was even better. Highly recommend this tour.

We had such a wonderful day on this tour with Mauricio Barone. Excellent tour guide/historian. Mauricio made our godfather experience the most memorable of our 14 day cruise!!! Absolutely beyond our expectations!!!

We had a wonderful day with our tour guide, Maurizio He was very personable Gave us much information on Sicily’s history and The Godfather trilogy He answered all of our questions Very courteous to my husband who has mobility issues, making sure to find the less difficult areas for him to walk This was the hi light of our Adriatic tour I thank you very much for a delightful day !!

Maurizio B., was our guide on this very beautiful, informational and authentic tour. He’s a historian and sommelier, we learned about each area we traveled by car and walked through the towns where The Godfather movie was filmed, visited the many churches and a museum that we added to understand a little more of the towns rich history. Each town with spectacular views and so much history. My husband is a fan of The Godfather and I thought this would be a perfect experience for my anniversary present to him, to our surprise it was much more than we expected and we were engaged at every moment. Our lunch was the most delicious authentic Sicilian we’ve had since our stay. The owners were so hospitable and sweet, even though we didn’t speak the language we were able to communicate just fine. We ate our lunch on the very top floor patio overlooking the mountains, ocean and town. It was definitely a spectacular view even with the rain! Had a charcuterie plate, an entree, homemade lemon Italian ice or granita which was exquisite. We ended our lunch with an espresso a la Maurizio! You take a bit of hot red pepper flakes and place in your espresso and the flavor is heightened to the max! It’s not a Sicilian thing at all but definitely worth trying. Our guide Maurizio has his espresso this way and the owner already knew it so they both recommended. All in all this was by far one of the most exciting tours we’ve had and we encourage you to try it!

Mauritzio was AWESOME! Great attention to detail, the site visits were amazing, and he was on time and great at communicating. Loved that. The small towns were real gems. Had lunch in a great, small restaurant. If you love The Godfather…Mauritzio and his tour have no equal!

Pepito and Marco were absolutely the best guides we could have asked for. Went above and beyond expectations. Pepito even gifted us with fruit from his own garden. Such a gentleman! Will forever remember the kindness of Pepito!!

My husband and I took the Godfather tour out of Taormina with guide Marco. We had a wonderful day and Marco was very knowledgeable and fun to spend time with. My husband is Scilian-American and loves Godfather trivia, he had a lof of fun seeing the actual filming sites. Beautiful and peaceful small villages in Sicily.

Marco was our tour guide for the day. He made the day so special for us and he was so enthusiastic and knowledgeable. We had a thoroughly enjoyable day, Marco was so easy to talk to and told us so much about the beautiful villages that we visited, as well as lots of information about the filming of the Godfather films. We absolutely loved visiting the sites, especially the bar and the church. Nothing was too much trouble for Marco (he was also our photographer for the day! The pick up was prompt and contact with Prestelli was easy and reliable. I would highly recommend the Godfather Tour, Prestelli and Marco!

Maybe we were lucky, but our guide, Fabio (spoiler: it's actually his middle name), and our driver, Louisa, made sure that we were also exposed to the rich and vibrant history of towns like Savoca and Forza d'Agro above and beyond just the Godfather movie. Having the historical context intertwined with the pop-culture components made the day so much better, and Fabio's knowledge was unbelievable. As if the sites weren't enough, some truly local foods (Arancini!) at a beautiful cafe on the sea just capped off an incredibly interesting, exciting and educational day. I couldn't recommend enough this tour as a way to learn about not just the Godfather locations, but about Sicily as well!

Great day on Godfather tour ! Excellent and easy correspondence to organize the trip with Prestelli beforehand. Our guide Marco was excellent . Marco is very knowledgeable and passionate about Sicily and very engaging throughout the tour. He knew exactly where to take us and we appreciated that he was accommodating and flexible - we even managed to get in some time in Taormina before heading back to our ship. Lots of amazing vistas and photo ops, and he had all the anecdotes to share about the Godfather movies. A fun day, fair price, and well organized. Highly recommended!

We had originally booked a tour to Mount Etna but inconveniently the volcano chose to erupt the day before! When we met Marco and Luisa we immediately knew we were in for a great day. Both so enthusiastic and anxious to share their beautiful island. They could not have been more considerate towards my husband who has mobility problems. We sampled granita, toured the villages featured in the Godfather film and had the best Italian lunch we have ever tasted in a restaurant which was obviously a favourite of the locals. We learnt so much about the people and their way of life. I can not recommend this couple too highly and the friendly helpful staff at Prestelli Tours.

We booked this tour online while already in Taormina and we are glad we did. Luisa is a very safe driver on the winding roads of Messina province. We found Marco to be very knowledgeable and enthusiastic about his homeland and he and Luisa were good company too. As I had a few mobility problems Marco was very solicitous when I was using uneven stairways. It was a very enlightening excursion for us and we learned a lot about the history of the area as well as the story of ‘The Godfather’ films. It was an ideal way to spend the last day of our holiday in Sicily enjoying these beautiful villages.

Our family of 3 recently did a Godfather Tour to Forza D’Agro and Savoca. We had a rough start due to miscommunication with the tour company. However, they made it right and we had a LOVELY day with Marco touring the east coast of Sicily. Marco is kind, personable, knowledgeable and patient! He also documented our trip perfectly by taking multiple family photos for us. He is also a very good driver - unlike 99% of Sicilians!! Highly recommend.

We recently booked a tour with Marco to do the Godfather tour of Savoca and Forzo di Agro. And to say it made our trip was an under statement!!! We got so much more than some godfather facts he really gave us a taste of real Sicilian culture! We had the most amazing time and views were put of this world! We left feeling like we had made a real friend! We drove 3 hours from Palermo to stay the night in Taormina just for this tour and we were so glad we made the trip! Marco was so friendly and took so many amazing photos for us without us even asking! Thank you so much Marco!! Grazie 🍋🥂

Es war eine ganz wunderbare Tour. Maurizio, unser Fahrer und Guide, hat alles super organisiert und uns - neben den Schauplätzen des Films - auch vieles über Sizilien und dessen Geschichte erzählt. Wir haben uns in Englisch unterhalten, aber Maurizio lernt gerade deutsch und ist darin schon sehr gut! Wir hatten unheimlich viel Spaß und das typisch sizilianische Mittagessen war einfach unglaublich lecker!!! Also diese Tour kann man wirklich empfehlen, wobei Maurizio wohl auch noch andere Touren (zB. Weintouren) anbietet, welche sehr interessant klingen.

Independently the area should go to better known areas, spending the right amounts without being fooled by incompetent staff, with robbery prices.