There's a variety of new guests staying at a luxurious hotel in The White Lotus Season 2, but this time the rich and powerful holidaymakers aren't based at the Hawaiian resort from Season 1.
Instead, they are making the trip to Sicily, where they will say at the luxury White Lotus resort.
Just like in Season 1, the White Lotus hotel will be home to much of the drama, with the setting being a part of the show's dramatic storyline itself.
Spoiled with sun, sea and serious luxury, what could possibly go wrong? Fans will have to watch the events unfold every Sunday, when episodes air at 9 p.m. ET on HBO and HBO Max.
The cast of The White Lotus told Newsweek all about filming the new season on location in Sicily.
All of The White Lotus Season 2 Filming Locations
Season 2 of The White Lotus was filmed at the Four Seasons San Domenico Palace in Taormina, Sicily.
The town of Taormina is a hilltop on the east coast of Sicily, close to Mount Etna, an active volcano.
The beautiful hotel, situated on a rock promontory above the Ionian Sea has incredible views of the ocean, Mount Etna, and the Greek theater, Teatro Antico di Taormina.
With origins going far back to the 14th century, the building was once a convent before it was transformed into a luxury hotel in 1896. It has hosted notable historical figures including Oscar Wilde, Elizabeth Taylor and Audrey Hepburn.
You can visit the Four Seasons San Domenico Palace today, which has gorgeous amenities such as a clifftop infinity pool, a spa and award-winning restaurants. The suites range from $1,000 per night to over $6,000 for the Princess suite.
Aubrey Plaza, who plays Harper in The White Lotus Season 2, told Newsweek how the setting of Sicily influenced the show in comparison to the Hawaiian setting of Season 1.
She shared: "I think the environment is very much a part of the show. It's like a character, the location. So I think the show is very informed by the energy of kind of being on this volcanic Italian island and I think the show is more focused on sexual politics rather than cold, colonialism, and, in my opinion, the money and those kinds of issues that the first season dealt with. So I think that's it, there's a slight shift in kind of focus. There is a lot about relationships and cheating, jealousy, sex, like, things like that."
Plaza added it was "beautiful" to film in Sicily, adding: "It's just breathtaking. It was kind of that was a dream. It was very dreamlike, to live there for so long."
Filming for Season 2 began in February 2022, with the hotel closed to guests until April 2022, as the cast and crew moved into the hotel.
Scenes not involving the hotel in The White Lotus Season 2 were shot at the Lumina Studios in Rome and in and around Sicily.
Audiences may recognize The Noto Cathedral, located in southeastern Sicily in the new series, and the capital city of Palermo.
According to Elite Daily, scenes were also filmed at the La Cambusa restaurant located on Giardini Naxos beach.
Jennifer Coolidge, who plays Tanya, said the setting "doesn't look real" on screen.
She gushed: "It was better than what it looks like on screen. I mean, I know that's impossible to believe if you haven't been to Sicily, but it really doesn't look real. Those backdrops of the sea and those giant stone sort of formations that come out of the sea, it just doesn't look real."
Co-star John Gries added: "It was absolutely breathtaking. The interesting thing some of the scenes that we filmed it was rather cold because we got there in February and but it's still it's just stunning. It's stunning, even when you're sitting out there shivering."
The White Lotus Season 2 airs Sundays at 9 p.m. ET on HBO and HBO Max.
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