The ancient city of Noto spread out on top of the Alveria hill, a heart-shaped high plateau, situated 409 m. above sea level. The site on which the original settlement developed, has been inhabited since prehistoric times and contains necropoli datin...

Noto has a particularly rich religious heritage, including incredibly beautiful churches. The church of S. Carlo Borromeo stands on Corso Vittorio Emanuele, built midway through the eighteenth century, with an unusual concave facade alternating three...

The interesting church of the SS Crocifisso from behind its short flight of steps faces onto charming Piazza Mazzini. The church, the biggest and most important in upper Noto, was built in 1715 to a plan designed by Rosario Gagliardi. The facade, a f...

In the heart of Noto, at the top of three scenic flights of steps, designed by the architect Labisi, stands the town's imposing cathedral, a sumptuous Baroque building consecrated to St. Nicholas of Myra, which has been a national monument since 1940...

The remains of ancient Eloro are visible in the coastal area of Noto. The town was founded at the end of the eighth century BC by Corinthian colonists, on a small hill close to the sea, not far from the mouth of the river Tellaro, known as Heloros in...

The hilly area around Noto is very interesting, with its large valleys cloaked in luxuriant Mediterranean vegetation. In fact, the majestic sanctuary of the Madonna della Scala is set in deep green surroundings; founded by the venerable friar Girolam...

The magnificent Oasi di Vendicari lies on the coast near Noto, a Nature Reserve since 1984, it embraces a notable variety of eco-environments: including wetland areas - among the most important in Italy, and the most fascinating in Sicily - where sal...

Facing onto the most important and spectacular town square in Noto, the fascinating Piazza del Municipio, is palazzo Landolina, flanking the cathedral to the left. An elegant classic-baroque-style building, erected about 1730 for Francesco Landolina,...

Noto is remarkable for its extraordinary artistic-architectural heritage: in fact, attractive squares open out along central Corso Vittorio Emanuele, lined with superb churches and elegant, eighteenth-century noble residences; just as refined, late-B...

Opening onto the central Corso Vittorio Emanuele III is attractive Piazza 16 Maggio, its name taken from the anti-Bourbon riots of the Risorgimento in 1860. A magnificent nineteenth-century botanical garden graces the heart of the square, better know...

The high-class meeting place of the town, as well as the picturesque entry point to the real heart of Noto, Piazzale Marconi since 1936 has been blessed with magnificent and well-maintained public gardens, among the loveliest in Italy, rightly famous...

One of the best and most effective architectural achievements of the urban layout in netino is the famous Piazza del Municipio, among the loveliest squares in Italy. This fascinating square, better known as the area of the "maioris ecclesiae", is one...

To the south of Noto, on a plain at about 154 m. a.s.l. lies Rosolini, an important agricultural centre mainly producing almonds, olives, carobs, and citric fruit, that was founded around the sixteenth century. Unfortunately almost nothing remains of...

Near Noto, along the road that leads to Pachino, on the right bank of the River Tellaro, a splendid Roman villa, unearthed in 1971, can be found inside an eighteenth-century farm estate. The huge building, still not completely explored, dates from th...

One of the most massive religious architectural complexes in Noto is the monastery of the SS Salvatore, a monumental building dating from the second half of the eighteenth century, that stands behind the basilica of the same name and the lovely churc...

On the monumental and choreographic Piazza dell'Immacolata stands the lovely church of S. Francesco, rising at the end of a long and impressive three flights of steps. Built between 1704 and 1745 to a design by the skilful architects Rosario Gagliard...

Just outside the town itself stands one of the most important sanctuaries in the Noto area, consecrated to S. Corrado Confalonieri, its patron saint since 1643. The church is set in the splendid deep green surroundings of the so-called Valley of the ...

The lovely church of Santa Chiara faces on to elegant Corso Vittorio Emanuele, the main road running through the town of Noto. The refined building was erected between 1719 and 1758 to a plan by the architect Rosario Gagliardi. The huge bell tower is...

Not far from Eloro, one of the most interesting archaeological zones in the Noto area, a gigantic column rises, made up of great limestone blocks, known as the "Pizzuta" owing to its characteristic pointed shape. The majestic column, currently 10.50 ...

About 20 km. from Noto lies one of the most interesting archaeological areas in the district: the site of Castelluccio. A place where an important prehistoric village stood (nineteenth to fifteenth century BC) from which a remarkably interesting cult...

In Noto the food also is sumptuous and very rich: definite flavours, intense aromas and tasty recipes in fact distinguish a gastronomy of a thousand aspects. The first courses are typified by the exquisite home-made pasta, including the "cavateddi", ...

The sumptuous church of S. Domenico faces onto Piazza 16 Maggio and is among the most refined examples of Sicilian Baroque in Noto. The complex, multifaceted architecture of the majestic church captures the visitor's attention, leaving him spellbound...

The netino area has a great deal of naturalistic interest; taking the picturesque hill road that links Noto with Palazzolo Acreide, in fact, brings the visitor to the magnificent Cava Cultrera, a nature reserve that embraces an area of about 5 km; th...