MOVIE TOUR – MALÈNA BY GIUSEPPE TORNATORE – SICILY, ITALY

A lovely tour to go back over two lovely Sicilian cities, where the movie starring by Monica Bellucci “Malèna” was shot.

Historical interest 100% 100%
Fun 80% 80%
Activity Level 100% 100%

“Malèna” movie tour is a full day guided tour where you can visit the Sicilian cities of Noto and Syracuse that have been the background of the movie.

The movie “Malèna” tells the story of a beautiful war widow called Malena (“Monica Bellucci”), desired by all the men in her village, who instigate a young Renato's erotic fantasies. The film is set in an imaginary city, Castelcutò, but rebuilt between the suggestive cities of “Noto and Syracuse”. ...

The tour will start right from the Sicilian city of “Syracuse”, is one of the oldest cities in the “Mediterranean”; the ancient capital of “Magna Graecia”, now a unique place of its kind, it is the result of a succession of domination and the fusion of different souls. In every corner of the city, traces of ancient civilizations appear in a different styles, flavors and perfumes. The city retains evidence of its past in every corner. “Greek, Roman and Baroque” styles come together in an irresistible setting that recounts thousands of years of history.Starting from the ancient nucleus on the “island of Ortigia”, you can admire “the Cathedral”, with its Baroque façade rising above the peristyle of the 5th-century BC Doric temple of Athena, reworked in the Norman era and later. Other important churches are “San Giovanni alle Catacombe” with the crypt of “San Marziano”, and the Church of “Santa Lucia alla Badia” with the painting by Caravaggio “Seppellimento di Santa Lucia”. In “Piazza Pancali”, on the other hand, are the ruins of the “Temple of Apollo”, a Doric sanctuary dating from the early 6th century BC. The wonder increases when you move to the “Neapolis” district, where you will find the remains of the Greek theater, the Roman amphitheater, the great altar of Hieron – the largest altar from the Greek era that has come down to us.

Then, we will move to “Noto”, a little jewel of Sicilian baroque. A beautiful town perched on a plateau overlooking the Asinaro valley. An important Sicilian, Roman, Byzantine and then Arab center, it was destroyed at the height of its splendor by the earthquake of 1693, but thanks to skillful reconstruction, “Noto” has become a magnificent city of art, a “UNESCO Heritage site”. The extraordinary beauty of “Noto”, and of the other towns rebuilt after the earthquake, characterizes the entire Val di Noto. We will pass through Corso Vittorio Emanuele III, that lends his baroque face several times to the needs of the film. We cannot miss a break at Caffè Sicilia, situated along the road, to taste its delicious and unique gravitas. Furthermore, we will continue in another wonderful location of the movie that deserves to be visited, “Marina di Noto” with its long beach and its clear and transparent waters. Finally, we will reach the last stop of the tour, the Scala dei Turchi a wall of white rock overlooking the sea along the coast, where the young Renato takes refuge to write letters to his beloved and meets friends.