Savoca and the Abbey of St Peter and Paul of Agrò

Together with Forza d’Agrò, a remarkable stop north of Taormina, known in particular for having served as the setting for several scenes of Francis Ford Coppola’s Godfather, is the medieval village of Savoca. It is listed among the “most beautiful villages in Italy”, and a few kilometres away lies an Arab-Norman abbey full of charm, the Abbey of Saints Peter and Paul of Agrò, situated upstream of the valley of the same name.

Savoca: one of the most beautiful villages in Italy

Savoca is a village of Arab origin perched on a ridge, dominated by the ruins of its medieval castle. Popular tradition attributes seven faces to it, in reference to the variety of its panoramas: the Ionian Sea, the rugged coast of Calabria, Etna, the Peloritani mountains.
Its picturesque charm earned it its inclusion among the “most beautiful villages in Italy”, with its steep houses, ancient cisterns carved into the rock, medieval cobbled alleyways, 17th-century votive niches, and fragments of Byzantine walls still visible near via San Michele. 

Route through Savoca

At the foot of the historic centre, near a panoramic terrace and a small square, the bar Vitelli was used by Coppola for the filming of the Godfather. It has been preserved as it was at the time.
The town was fortified in the Middle Ages; people entered it through two gates, one of which still survives, the Porta della Città dating from the 14th^e century, with its pointed arch, once topped by a stone coat of arms bearing the arms of the Trimarchi family (from the small square before it: via Pentifuri, then 30 metres to the left, via S. Michele).

Past the latter, near the remains of a medieval synagogue, is the church of San Michele, built around 1250. It has two Gothic portals and an interior remodelled in the Baroque period, where old tombs survive. The frescoes on the vault depict the Archangels.
Continuing along the street that skirts the fortress above, the church of San Nicolò – wrongly called Santa Lucia – dates back to the early 13th^e century. Built on a spur, it is crowned with battlements giving it the appearance of a fortress. It was here that the wedding scene of the Godfather was filmed. It preserves an 18th^e-century polychrome marble altar and a quadrangular bell tower of medieval origin.

The most important building in Savoca is the Chiesa Madre, the 12th^e-century cathedral dating back to the Normans. The fine capitals of the columns separating the three naves are Romanesque in style. Remains of medieval wall frescoes have recently been brought to light. In its basement, corpses were mummified according to a custom inspired by Egyptian practices.
From the neighbouring rocky terrace, one can enjoy an extensive view over the surrounding valleys and the remains of the castle of Pentefur (11th^e–16th^e century), the former feudal seat of the barons of Savoca, then a Norman observation post overlooking the Agrò valley.

South of the cathedral, Mount Calvary is home to an old Jesuit hermitage converted into a church in the 18th^e century, accessible via a Stations of the Cross path. From there one has very beautiful views over Savoca and the surrounding hills.

The mummies of figures from the early 19th^e century rest in the crypt of the Capuchin convent (16th^e century), located at the foot of the old town. The convent also houses a small ethnographic museum devoted to the rural traditions of Savoca and the Agrò valley.

Where Savoca is located: map

Abbey of Saints Peter and Paul of Agrò

Photo source: Wikipedia

13 km by road inland, going up the Agrò valley, stands the remarkable abbey of Santi Pietro e Paolo d’Agrò (Saints Peter and Paul), built on a hill in Byzantine times and subsequently remodelled by the Arabs and the Normans.
The present church, erected in the 12th^e century, combines the Byzantine basilical plan with a decoration of alternating brick and stone, typical of Sicilian Norman art. It depended on the Basilian monastery of Saint John the Theologian of Messina.
The interior has three naves separated by grey marble columns and a raised choir adorned with fragmentary 13th^e-century frescoes. Excavations have revealed the remains of an older 10th-century monastery and a small monastic cemetery.
The abbey, today isolated in a preserved rural landscape, is accessible from Savoca by a panoramic road. It constitutes one of the oldest examples of Norman religious architecture in eastern Sicily.

Information

Suggested visits

External sites

• Abbey of Saints Peter and Paul of Agro: en.wikipedia.org
• Savoca: en.wikipedia.org, borghipiubelliditalia.it

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