ROME: The tiny Italian Mediterranean island of Favignana hopes Christopher Nolan’s blockbuster The Odyssey will attract more visitors while avoiding the pitfalls of overtourism.
Released last month, The Odyssey grossed more than $264 million worldwide on its opening weekend, the biggest debut of Nolan’s career. The film retells Homer’s epic tale of Odysseus’ journey home after the Trojan War.
Favignana, the largest of the Egadi Islands, lies 7 km off Sicily’s western coast and stands in for Ithaca, Odysseus’ homeland. The Castello di Santa Caterina, a fortress atop the island’s highest hill, serves as the hero’s palace.
Local authorities hope to turn the film’s connection with Favignana into a lasting attraction for the island, which has around 3,000 residents.
With support from Sicily’s culture department and Universal Pictures, a permanent exhibition could open as early as October at the former Florio tuna-processing plant, which served as the production’s headquarters.
“The idea is to allow visitors to experience the different stages of the production and see some of the costumes and equipment used in the movie”, Favignana Mayor Giuseppe Pagoto said.
Local businesses are hoping to benefit from the growing trend of film tourism, much as the long-running Inspector Montalbano series boosted tourism along Sicily’s southeastern coast.
“We believe all of western Sicily could become more attractive to American visitors thanks to The Odyssey”, said Giacomo Incarbona, head of the local hotel operators’ association.
The production team spent several months on Favignana between late 2024 and spring 2025, employing about 500 extras and workers. Pagoto estimated the shoot generated between €1 million and €2 million in local spending.
Incarbona said Nolan would cycle through town and greet residents, while Zendaya, who plays Athena, would sit in the square reading a book.
Managing a Tourism Boom International investors from North America, the Middle East and India have approached the municipality about high-end tourism opportunities ahead of the 2027 season.
But Favignana wants to avoid the overtourism that has strained destinations such as Venice and Florence. The population can already swell from 3,000 to between 40,000 and 50,000 on summer days, putting pressure on services.
“We will have to prepare for growing demand, starting with beach cleaning”, Pagoto said.
The municipality has installed 200 mooring buoys to prevent boats anchoring close to shore and is considering measures to regulate visitor flows.
Authorities also want to increase the average visit from five or six days to between 10 and 15 days, hoping The Odyssey will extend the tourist season rather than create a surge during peak periods. — Reuters
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