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Noto is the showpiece of the late-baroque towns of the Val di Noto, a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 2002 covering eight south-eastern Sicilian towns rebuilt in honey-coloured limestone after the 1693 earthquake levelled the region. The architects had a blank slate, an extraordinary budget, and a single coherent plan - so Noto reads as a single set-piece rather than the medieval palimpsest most Italian towns are.
The Cathedral of San Nicolò sits at the top of a wide flight of steps above Piazza Municipio, framed by the rococo Palazzo Ducezio opposite. Walk west along Corso Vittorio Emanuele to the Chiesa di Santa Chiara (climb its bell tower for the rooftop view) and the Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, with its riot of grotesque limestone balcony brackets. The whole historic centre is small enough to see in a long afternoon, but Noto is best at golden hour when the local stone glows orange. The Infiorata flower festival in mid-May carpets Via Nicolaci in petals.
Pro Tip: Visit during the Infiorata festival in mid-May or skip the midday heat and arrive at 5:00 PM when the baroque facades turn honey-gold in the late sun. Modica and Ragusa Ibla, both UNESCO Val di Noto towns, are an easy combined day trip from Syracuse if you have a car.
