SAVOCA SICILY. The Sicilian City of the Godfather, «Cosa Nostra» and Mafia, Michael Corleone (Al Pacino), and Apollonia.

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Publication Details

Journal
Zenodo (CERN European Organization for Nuclear Research)
Published
2026-09-11
DOI
https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.22705917
Primary Topic
Linguistic Studies and Language Acquisition
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article
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SAVOCA SICILY. The Sicilian City of the Godfather, «Cosa Nostra» and Mafia, Michael Corleone (Al Pacino), and Apollonia.

STEFANOS SOTIRIOU
Zenodo (CERN European Organization for Nuclear Research)
Linguistic Studies and Language Acquisition
article

SAVOCA SICILY. The Sicilian City of the Godfather, «Cosa Nostra» and Mafia, Michael Corleone (Al Pacino), and Apollonia.

STEFANOS SOTIRIOU
article en

Abstract

SAVOCA SICILY. The Sicilian City of the Godfather, «Cosa Nostra» and Mafia, Michael Corleone (Al Pacino), and Apollonia. Savoca: The city where Godfather was filmed. Savoca, a very ancient Greek name and a greek city, does not appear to have a distinct, established ancient or Byzantine Greek name. The designation Savoca / Sàvoca is the one found throughout the town's historical trajectory. The interesting detail lies in its etymology. The prevailing interpretation connects the name to the Greek σάβουκα / σάβυκα (sábuka), meaning elderberry (Sambucus). In fact, a linguistic publication explicitly states: “Sàvoca – dal greco sàbuka = sambuchi” meaning: “Savoca, from the Greek sábuka, elderberries.” Furthermore, the Comune di Savoca itself considers the derivation from the sambuco plant—which in the Sicilian dialect is savucu—to be the most plausible. Therefore, if we want to render it in Greek, “Σαβόκα” is essentially the transliteration of the historical toponym, rather than a translation of a different name. What exactly does Mario Puzo say in the novel “The Godfather” about Savoca and Apollonia? In Apollonia's storyline, Fabrizio and Calò(Calogero) have seen the girl and go with Michael to her father's cafe, Signor Vitelli's. Fabrizio describes her as: “A type of girl more Greek than Italian.” And Calò repeats in Italian: “Più Greca d'Italiana.” Vitelli then denies knowing any such girl. Shortly after, Fabrizio realizes that the girl they are referring to is the daughter of Vitelli, the tavern keeper. A very interesting coincidence Apollonia is named Apollonia—a purely Greek name, derived from Apollo. And Puzo puts this specific observation into Fabrizio's mouth: “Più Greca d'Italiana” — “more Greek than Italian.” This, of course, does not constitute historical proof of Apollonia's Greek descent; Apollonia is a fictional character. Within the novel, however, it is clear that Puzo uses "Greekness" as a feature of her appearance and Greek beauty as a classical aesthetic standard that held particular significance in Sicily. And there is another interesting point In the film, the exact same phrase appears almost verbatim in the script: “A type more Greek than Italian.” So this was not something added by Coppola or the actors; the idea stems directly from Puzo's written material. However, we must distinguish between two things: · Novel: Apollonia is a fictional character. · Film: The phrase “more Greek than Italian” is used clearly to describe her appearance. Another detail is important: the Apollonia of the book is not connected to Savoca. The film, however, shot the scenes at Vitelli's tavern and Michael Corleone's wedding in Savoca—a real location with deep Greek and Byzantine history. The region (Val Demone) remained Sicilian Greek until the medieval and new centuries and preserved a Greek-speaking tradition for several centuries more. Thus, a particularly interesting coincidence is created between Puzo's fiction and the region's actual history. And now we move from myth to history This is where the truly interesting part of the research begins. There is published scholarly material regarding the Greek documents of Messina and northeastern Sicily—specifically the Val Demone region. However, to date, we have not identified a published edition that provides absolute clarity by stating: “This is the last Greek notarial document of Savoca, dated to the year X.” There is, however, the major collection: «I documenti greci del fondo Messina», which serves as a primary source for the study of the area's Greek records. Modern academic literature specifically references pages 669 and 671–678 of this edition. Additionally, the older publication: «I documenti inediti dell'epoca normanna in Sicilia», has been digitized and includes material on the Norman period and its connection to Greek letters, which formed a significant part of Sicily's written tradition. The crucial conclusion so far

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