The White Lotus is a critically acclaimed drama series airing on HBO. The seasons air as short anthology-style stories, focused on different hotels belonging to the fictional White Lotus chain.
The first season starred Murray Bartlet, Connie Britton, Jake Lecy, and Sydney Sweeney. Season two featured F. Murray Abraham, Michael Imperioli, Aubrey Plaza, and others. The only actors who appeared in both seasons are Jennifer Coolidge and Jon Gries (from Napoleon Dynamite).
Season 1
The first season of The White Lotus consisted of six episodes. It was set at a fictional White Lotus Hotel in Maui. The season was filmed on location at the Four Seasons Resort Maui. I’ve been to Maui several times but unfortunately haven’t had a chance to visit this resort. Hopefully at some point in the future I’ll have the chance to photograph the resort.
Season 2
San Domenico Palace Taormina
In season two, the story is set at the White Lotus Hotel in Sicily. The hotel is set on the edge of a mountain overlooking the Mediterranean. For filming, the production used the Four Seasons San Domenico Palace in Taormina, Sicily. I visited the area in 2010, before I was doing filming locations, and long before the show debuted. While I never visited the hotel itself, I did discover that I had a couple photos of the hotel, taken from a scenic overlook.
Teatro Antico di Taormina
In episode two of the season, several characters visit the ancient Teatro Antico di Taormina. The Greek theatre was built in 300 BC and is still in use today. The theatre can be visited by tourists to the area, and also hosts the annual Taormina Arte Festival.
Taormina
A variety of scenes through the season were filmed in the village of Taormina. The historic Piazza IX Aprile town square can be seen several times, including some shopping scenes in the second episode. The area also gives visitors excellent views of the Mediterranean coast and beaches, as well as Mount Etna.