With its outdoor seating on the piazza, it was the perfect place to play some cards, enjoy a drink and admire the gorgeous Chiesa di San Domenico. Aperitivo: Trattoria ”Fontana d’Ercole”Īfter strolling the streets, we settled at Trattoria ”Fontana d’Ercole” on Piazza XVI Maggio for an Aperol spritz and some aperitivo. On the 6 year anniversary of our Tinder match, we spruced up and drove into Noto for a lovely evening out. It’s a great place to pop into if you’re staying nearby. We revisited Noto a couple of times on our holiday, wondered the streets some more, played cards and drank cappuccini from La Vecchia Fontana, bought some Sicilian red wine. Luckily, Caffè Costanzo came to the rescue with the best pistachio gelato of the entire trip. How would we decide between them? COVID made that decision for us – Caffè Sicilia was closed. ![]() On the piazzo you’ll find a few cosy wine bars, and the town theatre, Fondazione Teatro Tina di Lorenzo di Noto.Īccording to Matt’s research, there are two places in Noto vying for the title of Best Gelateria in the World – Caffè Sicilia and Caffè Costanzo. Chiesa di San Domenico on Piazza XVI Maggio has to be one of the most beautiful, the warm tones of the curvaceous facade offset by the greenery outside, with a huge pine tree, a fountain, and numerous statues and memorials. In fact, including the cathedral, there are 35 baroque churches. Thought that was all the baroque churches? Think again. The location of the church gives you an amazing view of the cathedral dome, the steps and the main street through Noto – Corso Vittorio Emanuele. You can step out onto the balconies on both the second and third floors, with the best view obviously being from the top, where you get a proper 360 panorama. Fair warning though – the spiral stone staircase is extremely narrow and steep. It only costs €2 to go all the way to the top. Instead of climbing up Palazzo Ducezio to get your view of the cathedral and the surrounding hills, go for this church instead. Chiesa di San CarloĪnother baroque church! The facade of Chiesa di San Carlo is really striking, with three superimposed orders of columns and a floral oculus at the top. When we first booked our honeymoon for May 2020, we were thrilled to discover that our dates lined up with this festival – completely by chance! Obviously that didn’t work out, as COVID prevented the festival (not to mention our wedding and honeymoon) from taking place. Do a quick google search and you’ll see how stunning these mosaics are. Corrado NicolaciĮvery May since the 1980s, Noto has held a three day flower festival called the Infiorata, where the locals cover Via Corrado Nicolaci with floral mosaics. ![]() Inside you’ll find a hall of mirrors, lots of frescos, and lovely views back up to the cathedral. The Palazzo Ducezio opposite is technically the town hall. Sitting atop the imposing steps, the beautiful facade gives off some serious Versailles vibes, looking down towards the Palazzo Ducezio opposite and over the hills around the town. It seems to be in the habit of collapsing, so different parts have been rebuilt in different styles over the centuries, resulting in a neo-classical dome and white washed walls. The Cattedrale di Noto, or La Chiesa Madre di San Nicolò, was built in the 18th century along with most of the rest of the town. The whole main street is lined with gorgeous baroque buildings and even the ones that aren’t churches or monuments are still adorned with wrought iron balconies and ornate stone carvings. Noto Cathedral is definitely the ruling attraction of Noto, which is saying something. At only 212 square miles, this little town is a perfect day trip activity, with plenty to see and lots of delicious food to sample – including some of the best gelato in the world. Its Sicilian baroque architecture is held as some of the best on the island. The fact that the remaining townsfolk were so dedicated to their home that they picked it up and moved it 8km further south to safer ground is really quite remarkable. It lies 8km south of its original site, now called Noto Antica, which was destroyed by an earthquake in 1693, killing half its population. Noto is a beautiful town with a fascinating history. ![]() We explored many of the nearby towns, but our favourite by far was Noto. On our third week of our postponed Honeymoon (we’re still not married mind you, thanks COVID!) we spent our days relaxing in an amazing villa near Rosolini in southern Sicily.
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