The entire Portokalos family heads to the homeland in the new film "My Big Fat Greek Wedding 3."
Following the death of the family's Windex-toting patriarch, Gus Portokalos (the late Michael Constantine), Toula Portokalos (Nia Vardalos) and her relatives return to his ancestral village for a reunion.
The Portokalos family reunion takes place in a town on an unnamed island, though some characters do go to Paros and other identified locations.
But where, in Greece, is the movie actually set? Below, we get into the details of where "My Big Fat Greek Wedding" was filmed — and why you should visit.
So, where was 'My Big Fat Greek Wedding 3' filmed?
The third installment of fan-favorite franchise filmed for several weeks in Greece both in the mainland and on the island of Corfu.
Production designer Grant Armstrong tells TODAY.com he traveled across Greece in search for a village that fit Vardalos' vision.
“We wanted to show a part of Greece that we felt hadn't been seen on film. It was a different part — a real, rural village that had seen harder times, and people had moved out," he says, being drawn to Corfu.
The movie was filmed across real towns in Corfu, especially the unique Bouas Village in Danilia, which is a recreation of an 1930's era Greek village built in the '70s.
"It's a street, it's got two rows of buildings, so it was kind of perfect. On a practical level, it meant we could have a whole film crew descend on there instead of going up some windy little roads on the top of a mountain," Armstrong says.
But it was also filmed in a village with a scenario similar to the one seen in the movie: Most of its residents had moved out, leaving a sense of "faded grandeur" and that life had "disappeared," Armstrong says.
"There were 20 (residents). They were hilarious and incredibly welcoming. I'm sure they found the whole thing fascinating," he says.
On July 3, 2022, Vardalos shared some details on Instagram as the movie was being filmed over the summer.
"Good morning from the island of Corfu, in Greece," she shared. "Much of ('My Big Fat Greek Wedding 3') will be filmed on the mainland including Athens, and on several islands which will be amalgamated into one location in the film."
She added that she wished she "could put all of Greece into the camera lens."
Vardalos posted on July 22, 2022, that filming the second sequel was the "longest time I have ever been in Greece and I am more in love than ever with this country and our people."
Why Corfu? What the island is known for
Corfu is a popular tourist destination located off the northwest coast of the mainland in the Ionian sea.
The island is set apart by its "incredibly rich history," Yvette Manessis Corporon, a novelist who has written two Corfu-set books and whose family is from the island, tells TODAY.com.
"It was invaded by the Venetians, the British and the French. So the architecture is representative of all that history," she says, taking the form of palaces, fortresses and historic churches. The island was united with Greece in 1864.
Known as Greece’s emerald island, Corfu has more greenery than its Cycladic counterparts. The island’s landscape is known for sandy beaches — and a resort-studded shoreline — as well as rugged mountains.
"It's a little bit more of a historic feel than you get in other parts of Greece. That, combined with the greenery and the lush topography, it just makes it a magical combination," Manessis Corporon says.
The TV shows “The Durrells in Corfu” and “Maestro in Blue,” the first Greek series to be picked up by Netflix, were also filmed in Corfu.
What was it like to be in Greece while 'My Big Fat Greek Wedding 3' was filmed?
Manessis Corporon happened to be on Corfu while the movie was being filmed, and she said excitement was in the air.
“It was all about, ‘Did you catch a glimpse?' 'Did you go?' ... 'Have you seen Nia?'" she recalls.
Manessis Corporon says locals were thrilled when they got a glimpse of the cast going to smaller tavernas and shops.
"People couldn’t wait to take photos with the cast. The fact that they were really leaning into the local businesses to help the economy and put their arms around the locals as they were filming was very much appreciated," she says.
Grant corroborates Manessis Corporon's account, saying Vardalos was treated like the "Queen of Greece" when they were seen out together.
"I've never seen so many people come up to someone, (wanting) their photographs taken with her, and she's so amazing with them," Grant says.
"People really, really love the films and really, really love the characters — it’s beautiful,” he continued.
Throughout her stay in the summer of 2022, Vardalos posted several times from Corfu. In one snap while on set, she thanked the Corfu town of Varipatades for their hospitality.
Vardalos posted about casting locals, both seriously but once as a joke. On July 28, 2022, she shared a picture of goats with the caption, "When filming in Greece, always cast locals."
For Manessis Corporon, seeing the trilogy film in her ancestral island is a full circle moment.
"My husband's family is very buttoned up American and mine is a big, fat, crazy Greek family. We so much of our own family in that film ... the spirit is there, the love is there, the love for the culture. We just can't get enough of it, we love it" she says.
