The 1693 earthquake erased old Noto; the answer was one of Europe's most radical urban ventures: rebuild everything elsewhere, in a golden stone that catches fire at sunset. The result — the "garden of stone" — is the capital of Sicilian Baroque, UNESCO-listed since 2002: the cathedral atop its staircase, Palazzo Ducezio, the Palazzo Nicolaci balconies held up by sirens and griffins.
On May's third Sunday, Via Nicolaci is carpeted with petals for the Infiorata. Around town wait the nero d'Avola vineyards, the Vendicari reserve with its flamingos and the Calamosche beach: the south-east at its peak.
Castelluccio di Noto · cattedrale di Noto · chiesa del Santissimo Crocifisso and 15 more
Arancino · Pasta alla Norma
24 places to stay · top rated: Battimandorlo 9.7 · Il San Corrado di Noto 9.7
Next up: Feast of Saint Conrad, Friday 19 February
Nearest airport: Catania Fontanarossa, 65 km away
Noto is part of 🏘️ Villages 🏖️ Seaside 🏛️ UNESCO heritage
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📅 Every year, on 19 February; the summer feast in August
On 19 February, the day of his death, Noto carries in procession the silver urn with the relics of Saint Conrad, the hermit from Piacenza who ended his days here in 1351.
Castelluccio di Noto An Early Bronze Age site near Noto featuring over 200 rock-cut tombs, including the monumental Tomba del Princ 
cattedrale di Noto The Baroque cathedral of San Nicolò in Noto, rebuilt after its 1996 collapse and part of a UNESCO World Herita 
chiesa del Santissimo Crocifisso Designed by Rosario Gagliardi in the 18th century, this is the second-largest church in Noto. 
chiesa di San Carlo al Corso Built from 1730, this Noto church features a golden calcarenite façade and an altar salvaged from the 1693 ear 
chiesa di San Domenico A landmark of Noto's Baroque architecture, designed by Rosario Gagliardi between 1703 and 1727. 
chiesa di San Francesco An 18th-century Baroque church in Noto designed by Rosario Gagliardi, forming part of the Val di Noto UNESCO s Saffron rice, ragù with peas and caciocavallo inside a golden cone-shaped crust: in Catania it is masculine and pointed, and the quarrel with Palermo over the name is serious.
Read more →Straight-line distances from the town centre. Tap a point to open its page.
The closest destinations covered by our editors, with straight-line distance.
Outside Noto, but an easy day trip away.
