Noto

Noto is a small jewel of Sicilian baroque. A beautiful village perched on a plateau overlooking the Asinaro valley.

An important Sicilian, Roman, Byzantine and then Arab center, it was destroyed in its full splendor by the earthquake of 1693. Thanks to the skilful reconstruction, Noto has become a magnificent city of art, Unesco heritage together with Caltagirone, Militello, Catania, Modica, Palazzolo, Ragusa and Scicli.

The extraordinary beauty of Noto, and of the other cities rebuilt after the earthquake, characterizes the whole Val di Noto.

For the reconstruction were called great architects, almost all formed in Rome and in fact the reason for inspiration is that of Roman Baroque, even if revisited.

The result exceeded the expectations and the reconstruction gave life to a wonderful job even if different from city to city. From the dark gray baroque of Catania, where lava stone was used, to the bright, honey-colored Noto architectures.

The medieval city, of which traces of the walls and the castle are visible, corresponds to the ancient Neto. The new city’s structure is instead the baroque one, based on wide and rectilinear streets interspersed with squares with staircases overlooking churches and palaces. Main squares is Piazza dell’Immacolata with the homonymous church.

Then there is the town hall square surrounded by four buildings: the town hall, the church of the Santissimo Salvatore, the bishop’s palace and the splendid cathedral of San Nicolò, which dominates from the top of a spectacular staircase. In the 16th May square there are the church of S. Domenico with a curvilinear façade and the Dominican convent with a beautiful ashlar portal. In the Church of the Crucifix there is a statue of the Madonna della Neve sculpted by the sculptor Francesco Laurana in 1471.

For lovers of ancient civilizations, do not miss a trip to the surrounding areas where archaeological sites of great value are preserved. From the Greek cities of Eloro and Camarina to the Greek theater of Palazzolo Acreide, from the Necropolis of Pantalica, also a Unesco site, to the prehistoric village of Castelluccio, to the Roman villa of Tellaro.

Noto is a perfect place to visit at any time of the year. In the summer, where you can combine trips to the beautiful sea of ​​Sicily with cultural visits. In autumn and winter, perhaps along the Wine Road of the Val di Noto that winds through six municipalities of South Eastern Sicily, such as Palazzolo, Avola, Noto, Rosolini, Pachino and Ispica.