Young Sherlock Season 2 was filmed in Sicily – How and where Palermo went back in time for four weeks

During the first day of filming in the city, Piazza Bellini was transformed into a full period Turkish market – stalls, carts, period costumes – where Hero Fiennes Tiffin's Holmes roamed in his signature dark bowler hat, solving one of his cases. Piazza Bellini sits in the heart of Palermo's historic centre, flanked by the Arab-Norman church of San Cataldo and the church of Santa Maria dell'Ammiraglio — better known as La Martorana.

The set designers transformed the forecourt of Palermo Cathedral on Via Vittorio Emanuele with oriental curtains, stalls and carts – creating a curious juxtaposition between costumed extras and tourists armed with phones trying to capture images during filming. The cathedral, begun in 1184 and built over a former mosque, carries the layered history of a city that has been Arab, Norman, Spanish and Italian in turn. 

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The interiors of the Teatro Massimo – Italy's largest opera house, on Piazza Giuseppe Verdi – were transformed into a reception hall of the Ottoman nobility. On June 1, the monumental steps of the theatre were used for filming. The Teatro Massimo is already one of cinema's most famous addresses: its steps are the location of the final scene of The Godfather Part III. Now they host a young Sherlock Holmes pursuing a Victorian conspiracy through a fictional Constantinople.

After the major set pieces, production spread across Palermo's historic streets for the remainder of the shoot. Filming continued at Piazza Magione, Via degli Schioppettieri, Via Matteo Bonello, Via dell'Università, Via Maqueda, Via Scarlatti, Piazza Verdi, Via Grande Lattarini, Viale Aiace, Piazza Casa Professa, Via del Ponticello, Via Alloro, Corso Vittorio Emanuele, Via del IV Aprile, Piazza Bologni and Piazza Marina.

The list traces a route through almost the entire historic centre – from the Spanish Quarter in the northwest to the old harbour at Piazza Marina in the southeast. 

Season 2 of Young Sherlock is expected to premiere in late 2027 or early 2028 on Prime Video.

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