Approximately ten kilometers from Taormina along the coast towards Messina, located on a summit at an altitude of 420 meters above sea level, lies the village of Forza D'Agro. As a terrace overlooking the Ionian Sea, from here you can see the whole coast from Messina to Syracuse, with Taormina in the background, and Mount Etna in her frame.
The history of this village dates back to prehistoric times. In 1116, the village was named Agrilla. The Norman King Roger II gave the land to the Abbot of the monastery of Saints Peter and Paul of Agrò which exercised for centuries both a pure and mixed empire. A form of feudalism, a medieval Latin phrase that indicated the delegation of all political, administrative, fiscal, military, and judiciary powers, to a feudal lord until 1812, when feudalism was abolished in Sicily.
The most notable monuments are the Mother Church dedicated to the Annunciation (XVI century), rebuilt several times over the ruins of the pre-existing fifteenth-century church because of various earthquakes, the Augustinian monastery, the Holy Trinity church and the Norman castle (XIV century), of which only an abandoned cemetery remains. Between 600 and 700, Forza d'Agro had a period of building development by the wealthiest families in the country. Still visible are the Palazzo Mauro, the Palace Miano and Palazzo Garufi.
In the second half of the twentieth century, Forza d'Agro discovered its tourism potential and was chosen as the set of several successful films. In 1971, Francis Ford Coppola chose this location for some
scenes in his Godfather trilogy. Subsequently, many restaurants and hotels have opened in the area. If you pass through town, stop for a pizza at the pizzeria, Antichi Muri. For me, it is one of the best in Sicily but I leave it to you to judge. Have fun!