Travel guide · Noto, Sicily
Things to do in Noto,
and why it's all one colour.
Noto is not a town with some baroque buildings in it. After the earthquake of 1693 flattened the original hilltop settlement, the whole place was rebuilt from scratch, in one go, out of the same local limestone. That is why it works as a single, continuous streetscape rather than a collection of sights, and why the hour of the day matters here more than almost anywhere else in Sicily: the same honey-coloured stone that looks pale at noon turns properly gold by early evening.
I photograph here often, so this guide follows the order I actually plan a visit in: what to see, and the hour each place is worth showing up for.
Corso Vittorio Emanuele and the cathedral steps
The spine of the town, a long pedestrian street lined with palazzi, and at its centre the wide staircase leading up to the Cathedral of San Nicolò. It is one of the most photographed staircases in Sicily, and it very nearly did not survive: the dome collapsed in 1996 after decades of structural weakening, and the cathedral stayed closed for restoration until 2007. What you see today was rebuilt stone by stone to match the original, over a hundred thousand blocks of it.
Directly across the steps, the curved facade of Palazzo Ducezio, the town hall, is worth a look inside if it's open: the Sala degli Specchi, the hall of mirrors, is a small gilded room that feels completely out of scale with the plain doorway that leads to it.
Late afternoon, when the low sun hits the facade almost straight on and the stone turns from pale cream to gold for about an hour before sunset. At midday the same steps look flat, washed out and usually full of tour groups arriving off coaches.
The cathedral steps, golden hour
Via Nicolaci and the balconies
A short, steeply sloped street off the Corso, and one of the strangest and best details in Noto. Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata carries six balconies held up by carved stone corbels: griffins, sirens, horses, cherubs and grotesque human faces, no two alike. Stand underneath and look up; most visitors walk straight past without noticing what is holding the balconies in place.
On the third weekend of May, the entire street disappears under the Infiorata, a flower festival where local artists cover the road edge to edge in enormous designs made only from flower petals. It draws crowds from across Sicily, so if you want to see the designs before they are trodden on, arrive at opening time.
Morning, looking up the slope of Via Nicolaci toward the church of Montevergine at the top: the street is aligned so the light runs straight down it. During the Infiorata, come at first light, before the crowds arrive.
Chiesa di San Domenico
A short walk from the cathedral, with a convex, curving facade that is one of the more unusual church fronts in Sicilian baroque. The interior is airy and light, a contrast to the heavier feel of the cathedral itself.
The Giardino Pubblico and the quiet side of town
Noto's public garden sits a few minutes south of the centre, shaded and largely ignored by day trippers, which makes it a good place to slow down. The streets around it are residential rather than monumental: washing lines across balconies, small bars with no signage, the town as it actually is once the coach parties have moved on.
Out of town: Vendicari and Cava Grande
Vendicari, about fifteen minutes away, is a coastal nature reserve with some of the best beaches in south-eastern Sicily: Calamosche and San Lorenzo, both reached on foot from the car park. Inside the reserve, the ruins of an old tuna processing plant, the Tonnara di Vendicari, sit right on the sand, and the lagoons behind the dunes fill with flamingos in spring and autumn.
Cavagrande del Cassibile is a different kind of landscape entirely: a deep limestone canyon inland, with a chain of natural freshwater pools at the bottom. The hike down takes about forty minutes each way and is steep, but the pools are genuinely beautiful and far cooler than the coast in August.
Further along the coast, twenty minutes past Noto, the fishing village of Marzamemi makes a good final stop for the day: small, low houses around a working harbour, best in the evening once the boats are in.
Vendicari in the early morning, before the heat and the crowds arrive, especially if you want the flamingos. Cavagrande needs the full heat of the day for swimming, but the walk down is far more comfortable before ten.
A day, planned by the light
If Noto is a day trip for you, this is the order that makes the most of it.
How long to stay
Half a day: the Corso, the cathedral steps and Via Nicolaci, timed for late afternoon.
A full day: add Vendicari or Cavagrande in the morning, then Noto itself for the evening light.
Overnight: worth it if you want to see the town lit up after dark, once the day-trip buses are long gone and the Corso is nearly empty again.
If you're staying over, Noto is also one of Sicily's strongest towns for a special hotel: Seven Rooms Villadorata, seven suites inside the frescoed rooms of Palazzo Nicolaci itself; Il San Corrado di Noto, a former monastery in the countryside with a long marble pool; and Dimora delle Balze, a restored masseria looking out over the Val di Noto. All three, and several smaller boutique hotels around the centre, are places I photograph guests regularly, often families in town for a wedding.
Common questions
How many days do you need in Noto?
Half a day covers the centre on foot: the cathedral, Via Nicolaci and the side streets. A full day lets you add Vendicari or Cava Grande in the morning and keep the golden hour in town for the evening. Most visitors come as a half-day trip from Syracuse (Siracusa), which works well.
What time of day is best for the cathedral steps?
Late afternoon. The facade faces roughly south-west, so the low sun lights the honey-coloured stone directly and it genuinely turns gold for about an hour before sunset. At midday the same stone looks pale and flat, and the steps are usually full of tour groups.
Is Noto a day trip from Syracuse or worth staying overnight?
Both work. It is about half an hour by car, an easy day trip, and most people see it that way. But Noto empties out after the day-trip buses leave, and the town after dark, lit up and quiet, is worth an overnight if you have the time.
What is the Infiorata di Noto?
A flower festival held on the third weekend of May, when Via Nicolaci is covered edge to edge in elaborate designs made entirely from flower petals. It is one of the best-known events in Sicily and the street is packed, so plan to arrive early if you want to see the designs before the crowds do.
Is Vendicari worth visiting from Noto?
Yes, and it is only about fifteen minutes away. It is a nature reserve with some of the best beaches in south-eastern Sicily, an old tuna processing plant you can walk through, and lagoons where flamingos gather in spring and autumn.
Can you swim near Noto?
Yes, in two very different ways. Vendicari has open sea beaches like Calamosche and San Lorenzo. Cavagrande del Cassibile, a canyon a bit further inland, has natural freshwater pools at the bottom of a steep gorge, reached by a hike down that takes about forty minutes each way.
Want the photographs to be yours?
I photograph travelling couples and families in Noto, at the hour the stone turns gold. An hour together, and you go home with the trip as it actually looked. Sessions from €330, photos in 24 to 48 hours.
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