![]() South-east Sicily’s shoreline offers many great seascapes, and the Gulf of Noto contains a number of wonderful ones. ![]() Local artists use flower petals to shape creative looking mosaics and elaborate designs that run the entire length of the street. Each May local artists turn the Via Corrado Nicolaci, a street that runs off of the main Corso Vittorio Emanuele, into a carpet of colorful flowers for the Infiorata di Noto, an annual celebration that draws visitors from all over the world. If you happen to be visiting Noto in Spring, then you are in for a treat. Ducezio Palaceĭirectly across from the Cathedral of San Nicolò in Piazza del Municipio is Ducezio Palace, which is now the seat of the Town Council.ĭesigned by Sicilian architect Vincenzo Sinatra in 1746, this graceful, porticoed building houses the eccentric Sala degli Specchi (Hall of Mirrors), definitely worth a visit. Scenic and romantic, it is the city’s library now. Inside, the frescoed ceilings and richly brocaded walls offer an idea of the incredibly luxurious lifestyle of Sicilian nobles, as brought to life in Giuseppe Tomasi di Lampedusa’s The Leopard, one of the greatest Italian literary works of the 20 th century. The scenic façade of this 18 th -century, 90-room palace wows with its sinuous wrought-iron balconies, supported by mythical creatures, including mermaids, sphinxes and winged horses. Palazzo Nicolaci di Valldorata is worth visiting for a glimpse of the sumptuous life of Sicilian aristocrats in past centuries. The church sports an interesting convex façade. One of the town’s finest Baroque buildings, the 18 th -century Chiesa di San Domenico is a Baroque-style, Roman Catholic church designed to a Greek-cross plan by the abovementioned Sicilian architect Rosario Gagliardi, allegedly buried here. Lined with amber-colored churches, public gardens, and dazzling Baroque palazzos decorated with lavish details, Corso Vittorio Emanuele really feels like a vast work of art or a film set. The pièce de résistance in Noto is the pedestrian-only Corso Vittorio Emanuele, which begins at the imposing gateway of Porta Reale and extends west to the town’s central piazza. Noto, SicilyĪn unforgettable landmark standing at the end of an immense flight of stairs, it is especially hypnotic in the late afternoon when the setting sun casts the creamy limestone façade with an apricot glow. You will spot cigar-chomping men playing cards at café tables, craft shops, ceramicist’s workshops, and gelaterias serving artisanal granita, sorbets, and the best ice cream on Earth, made with local ingredients like Sicilian prickly pears and the island’s prized Bronte pistachios.Īlthough in size it would be considered a small town, there are many things to do in Noto (and it is one of Italy’s hidden gems)! San Nicolò CathedralĪ fine example of the Sicilian Baroque style, the Roman Catholic Cathedral of San Nicolò is the focal point of Noto’s skyline. In contrast to touristy Taormina, this fabulous Baroque town in southeast Sicily transports visitors to an era before mass travel, where the charm of the old times seems to remain intact. Sicilian Baroque architecture is at its best in Noto, an architectural supermodel located at the foot of the Iblean Mountains and packed with opulent churches and palaces, all made of the local, compacted, honey-colored limestone rock. The creator of many of the finest buildings was the Baroque starchitect Rosario Gagliardi, whose extroverted style also graces churches and monuments in Ragusa and Modica. Although a town called Netum has existed here for a long, long time, the town you see today dates to the 1700s, when it was rebuilt from scratch in the wake of the terrible earthquake that struck south-eastern Sicily in 1693.
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