The pristine coastal region of Taormina in southern Italy is set for a tourism boom thanks toThe White Lotus TV series,with searches for Sicily hotels and flights surging since the program debuted.
Season two of the Emmy Award-winning show launched in Australia on October 31 on Foxtel and streaming platform Binge. It's set in the fictional White Lotus hotel in Sicily and revolves around the lives of the hotel's wealthy guests and employees,with an ensemble cast that includes Jennifer Coolidge,Aubrey Plaza and F Murray Abraham.
For fans wondering if the hotel is a real place you can stay – it is. The series was filmed in a Four Seasons property in the resort town of Taormina.
The former 14th century cliffside monastery,San Domenico Palace,is at the heart of the series'many aesthetically pleasing scenes. Its prominence throughout the comedy-drama may explain why travellers are suddenly Googling the resort town en masse.
Stays at the San Domenico Palace aren't cheap,with rooms starting at about $A1140 a night,and soaring to nearly $A15,000 a night.
The high-end beachfront retreat features 111 rooms,a Michelin-starred restaurant,manicured Italian gardens and an infinity pool perched above the Ionian Sea. The series'executive producer David Bernad described the historic property as having"so much personality",in an interview withPeople.
Perhaps it's this combination of factors that prompted a frenzy of searches for"White Lotus location"around the time of the season premiere,with Australia reporting the highest proportion of queries of any region,according to Google Trends.