Noto Tours

On the southeastern coast of Sicily, the pretty limestone town of Noto—part of a sprawling UNESCO World Heritage Site—is a masterwork of the Sicilian baroque style. Architecture buffs love to stroll the Corso Vittorio Emanuele III and marvel at the grand St. Nicholas Cathedral and other baroque structures.

Destroyed by an earthquake in the late 17th century, Noto was rebuilt in a slightly different location, using the baroque style popular in Sicily at the time. Some guided day trips and multi-day tours of the region stop by Noto, taking the hassle out of coordinating transportation to numerous Sicilian sights.

Noto is just under 90 miles (145 kilometers) south of Taormina. Driving or visiting with a tour guide is the quickest and easiest way to get there. Public transit reaches Noto, but the route is long: take the train (with a stop in Syracuse), or a combination of train and bus. 

Weather-wise, the best time to visit Noto is in spring or fall, since the summer heat can be stifling. High season is June to September and around the Christmas and Easter holidays. The city hosts special events throughout the year (e.g. the Baroque Spring Festival, the Arab Horse Race, and various food-themed festivals).

In Noto, stop at a bakery and grab sandwiches for a picnic at the nearby Vendicari Nature Reserve. Along the rocky coastline, the park is a network of lagoons, dunes, and beaches rife with wild herbs and migrating birds passing through on their way to Africa. Look out for flamingos, herons, cormorants, and storks in fall, and ducks, mallards, and terns in winter.