Welcome To “The White Lotus!”

This stunningly beautiful hotel at night is actually the San Domenico Palace – and the entrance is gorgeous:

The San Domenico Palace is in the hilltop town of Taormina Sicily, and it’s getting a lot of attention right now because of a hit TV show!

For those who don’t know, “The White Lotus” airs on HBO and HBOMax, and follows one week in the lives of guests at a hotel.

Season one took place in Hawaii, and was honored with ten Emmy Awards, including Outstanding Limited Series…so of course, they are back – this time at “The White Lotus” hotel in Taormina Sicily!

Season two is set at this exclusive Sicilian resort and, similar to the first season, follows the exploits of guests and employees over the span of a week.

Jennifer Coolidge is the only returning cast member from season one. She comes to Taormina with her new husband and Assistant, played by Haley Lu Richardson, in tow.

Aubrey Plaza, arguably the most interesting Actress working today, stars as the wife of a recently-rich Silicon Valley husband, and the two are sharing their vacation with the husband’s also newly-rich partner.

Michael Imperioli, the brilliant Actor from “The Sopranos”, spends the week at The White Lotus with his father and his son as well – oh, and he spends a lot of time with these two female “locals”…so much is going on!

Here is the trailer for season two:

They filmed the show last winter when the hotel was off-season – this is what the hotel looks like when I was there in early July, perched on the edge of Taormina, overlooking the Ionian Sea:

And this is my wife Alex and I inside the entrance to the Hotel – because we stayed there right after filming wrapped!

This is the gorgeous central area next to check-in, and you will see this on the show – so I am in a sense giving you a tour of the “White Lotus” set!

This is a stunning hotel – the interior rooms are filled with oversized flower displays and vaulted ceilings…and here is the interior courtyard of the hotel during the day:

It’s a place to sit and have a drink or snacks, and as nice as it looks during the day, here is the courtyard at night:

It’s beautiful and serene, because they have live music playing all night as well! The show spends time inside the hotel rooms as well, like ours – here’s a tour:

A large part of the room is outside, with a couch, two chairs, lounge chairs and a plunge pool that overlooks the coast:

Looking out from the outdoor terrace, there is the Ionian Sea – a great view while you sip a glass of Sicilian wine…

The pool also looks out at the sea as well, and we spent lots of time relaxing there and enjoying the view:

Here’s a video with the view from the pool…

As this poolside art shows, the hotel loves to create a look…

Here are the back gardens that you can roam in…spectacular!

Of course, the town is also home to one of the largest Greek Amphitheaters in Italy – and this is the view of it from our room:

What a classically preserved venue and yes, it is still being used today!

Click here for my tour of Taormina’s Greek Theater!

Sicily is filled with amazing sights to tour, like the original locations used for “The Godfather!”

One of the locations was up a steep road, so we took a small motorized cart and what a ride!

Check it out:

There were so many other cool locations, including us sitting in the exact same spot as Al Pacino!

See our tour by clicking here:

Also, check out this shot we took from the greek theater – see what’s right behind Alex?

Yes, that’s Mt. Etna!

It’s the most active volcano in Europe!

As some of you may remember, Alex and I got to hike to the top!

Check out this clip:

If you want to see what it takes to climb an active volcano, just click on my story here for more!

While we were near the top of Sicily, we also walked along the shoreline, where we discovered a “part time” island!

You see, it’s an island when the tide is high, but not when it’s low!

Clcik here to find out more about the magical “Isola Bella!”

By the way, Sicily is the largest island in Italy…and we stayed a few days on the sea and got a daily live performance like this – wait for it:

The food of Italy is incredible of course – and Sicily was no different, so I had to try and make some back at home after our trip!

This “Cassatedde” went well with lava wine – click for the recipe!

If you enjoy these posts, why not subscribe and never miss out? It’s easy, and there are NO ads of any kind, just stuff I like – from music to movies, books, travel, food and more…click on the main page and “follow” me on the upper right…

https://johnrieber.com

Leave me a comment on your thoughts on “The White Lotus!”

If you like the story, share it with friends on social media! Thanks!

Categories: Art, Exotic Travel, Italy, Memoirs, Pop Culture, Real Estate, Talent/Celebrities, Travel, Travel Adventures, Travel Memoir, TV Show

Tags: Adventure Travel, all James Bond movies, BEST BOND THEMES, best hotels in Sicily, best James Bond films, Best James Bond movies, best James Bond theme songs, Best James Bond themes, Bond theme, Cala di Volpe hotel, Cala di Volpe hotel sardinia, entertainment, exotic travel, George Lazenby as James Bond, greek theater Taormina Sicily, Ionian Sea rock jumping, Isola Bella, Isola Bella island Sicily, Isola Bella island Taormina Italy, Isola Bella Sicily, Italian holiday, Italy, italy tourism, Italy tourist destinations, James Bond, James Bond 007, James Bond 007 movie locations, James Bond theme songs, james bond trivia, movies, rock jumping in Sicily, San Domeinco Palace resort Taormina Italy, San Domenico Palace site of The White Lotus, San Domenico Palace Taormina Sicily, Sant Andrea hotel Sicily, Sardinia, Sardinia travel, Sicily, Sicily tourist destinatioins, Sicily travel, Sicily travel adventures, Sicily's Isola Bella, Sicily's oldest greek theater, Taormina Greek Theater, Taormina Sicily island Isola Bella, The Spy Who Loved Me, the spy who loved me Sardinia locations, The White Lotus filming at The San Domeinco Palace, The White Lotus season 2 hotel, The White Lotus TV show locations, the worst James Bond 007, travel, travel adventures, visiting Sicily, where is The White Lotus filmed