You're to be forgiven if you've confused the new season of HBO's "The White Lotus" for a multi-episode advertisement for Sicily. The Italian island – specifically the area in and around the fabled eastern town of Taormina – plays a leading role in Mike White's self-described "vacations gone wrong" series, taking the baton from the Hawaiian island of Maui in Season 1.

This year's show makes sure to focus on the area's stunning seascapes, ornate estates and, of course, its delectable food and wine. White chose the location in part because of its "operatic and tragic vibes," which inform a darker story line that finds families and couples examining their demons. "We needed all the sexual politics and jealousy and paranoia," he says.