The White Lotus returns for a second season to completely new filming locations. Keeping to the themes of classism with an added emphasis on gender dynamics, the second season of the Emmy Award-winning series moves from a Hawaiian resort to a luxurious coastal hotel in Sicily. It's fitting that a show focusing on where the rich vacation would be set in different locations with each season, giving The White Lotus an almost anthological feeling.

Season 2 will be staying within the fictional five-star White Lotus resort chain, proving just how expansive the resort chain is by taking its story over 8,000 miles away from its season 1 location. Especially with the White Lotus season 1 finale death of Armond (Murray Bartlett), the memorable hotel manager, changing to a different location in season 2 becomes all the more appropriate. Returning characters include Jennifer Coolidge's Tanya McQuoid-Hunt, John Gries' Greg, and Leo Woodall's Jack. Otherwise, The White Lotus season 2 will see a cast of many new faces ranging from Aubrey Plaza to The Sopranos' Michael Imperioli.

Related: The White Lotus: Why Shane Isn't Arrested For Armond's Murder

Why The White Lotus Moved To Sicily For Season 2?Aubrey Plaza as Harper Spiller in The White Lotus season 2

White Lotus creator Mike White, whose love for travel is apparent in the show's nature, speaks in a WSJ interview about the "villas on terraced hills, Mount Etna, and the Ionian Sea," stating that "if you want to go to Europe, this is the view you want to see." White, who has been a contestant on The Amazing Race and Survivor, would understandably use The White Lotus as an outlet for travel. Moving a new The White Lotus cast to a different location is a risk that even a highly-acclaimed show like The White Lotus would be careful to take, but it completely works in the show's favor.

Moving the show to Sicily was also a matter of recognizing the higher selling power of The White Lotus. Originally meant to be a limited HBO series, The White Lotus' booming popularity sent White and Producer David Bernad on a scouting trip along the Mediterranean. As White emphasizes in a Vulture interview, "I feel like I've cracked the code, and I really don't want to f-- it up." Taking advantage of The White Lotus' higher acclaim and its unique strengths as a show about a high-class resort chain, shifting locations brings new life and appeal to the show.

Where In Sicily, Italy Is The White Lotus Season 2 Set?White Lotus season 2 trailer - Sicily

The primary filming location of The White Lotus season 2 is the town of Taormina, Sicily. Remaining as one of HBO Max's best shows, The White Lotus takes breathtaking locations and plays with their cultural power dynamics. Sicily's towns and communities range from being along the range of Italy's most affluent and most poverty-stricken areas, maintaining the theme of class differences in The White Lotus in the back of viewers' minds. Other White Lotus season 2 filming locations include the Sicilian towns of Noto and Palermo, and even Rome on mainland Italy.

Is The White Lotus Season 2's Setting A Real Sicilian Hotel?

The White Lotus season 2 trailer location

The hotel used for The White Lotus season 2 is the Four Seasons' San Domenico Palace, a 14th century convent-turned-resort in Taormino. According to an interview with The Guardian's Observer, the San Domenico Palace public relations coordinator Sonia Bonamassa says that "the producers [of The White Lotus] visited about 70 hotels" before claiming that the hotel for them was "love at first site." Taking The White Lotus' season 2 cast to the same location that attracted the likes of King Edward VIII and Elizabeth Taylor is certainly in line with the show's commentary on five-star resort culture and the overly privileged side of society.

Related: The White Lotus: The Controversial Season 1 Ending Explained

Funnily enough, given how old the San Domenico Palace is, Vulture claims that the cast would report paranormal activity on set. Of course, regardless of the validity of these haunted accounts, the San Domenico Palace's medieval nature creates an otherworldly allure, making it an enchanting location perfect for a resort meant to be a complete escape for the rich and famous satirized by The White Lotus. The deep history and beauty of the San Domenico Palace become even more accentuated when the high standards of its White Lotus guests come forth. For them, even a vacation in a breathtaking 648-year-old resort can be ruined by trivial hospitality issues.

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