Noto – UNESCO Baroque, Churches and Historic Urban Landscape

Noto between UNESCO Heritage and Sicilian Urban History

Noto combines a cohesive Baroque cityscape with traces of a considerably older past. The city is one of the eight cities included in the UNESCO World Heritage site “Late Baroque Towns of the Val di Noto”; the World Heritage site encompasses Noto’s entire historic centre. For your travel planning, this means that culture here is not limited to individual buildings but shapes the historic city as a whole.

This character is particularly evident at the Cattedrale di San Nicolò. It stands at the upper end of a monumental staircase with four flights. Its façade combines Baroque and Classical elements and dominates the Piazza Municipio. Following reconstruction and restoration, the cathedral was reopened for worship on 18 June 2007. The Chiesa di San Domenico complements this architectural setting as a particularly representative late Baroque monument in Noto. It was designed by Rosario Gagliardi between 1703 and 1727 as a monastery church for the Dominican friars.

Cityscape, Palaces and the History of Noto Antica

Noto was rebuilt at a new location. The present-day cityscape consists of an orderly street network laid out on descending terraces. This means that the city’s history can also be read in the structure of its streets. Corso Vittorio Emanuele is one of the main axes of this grid-like network and is interrupted by three squares: Piazza dell’Immacolata, Piazza del Municipio and Piazza XVI Maggio. Via Cavour is lined with 18th-century aristocratic palaces in the late Baroque style.

The historic counterpart is Noto Antica, also known as Netum. Noto Antica was the ancient settlement of Noto and was destroyed by the earthquake of 11 January 1693. It was located on Monte Alveria, 8 kilometres north of the present-day city, and was surrounded by powerful walls and the deep valleys of Monte Alveria. For a trip combining different interests, this creates a clear contrast between Noto, rebuilt according to a planned design, and the history of the older settlement.

Archaeological Evidence and Nature in the Municipal Area

The historical dimension also includes the Villa Romana del Tellaro. It is a late Roman villa from the period of the late Roman Empire, located in the municipal area of Noto. Its floor mosaics are dated approximately to the middle of the 4th century AD. The depictions include the return of Hector’s body and hunting scenes. The range of documented sights therefore extends from late Baroque architecture to Roman pictorial artworks.

Nature and mobility are also represented in the municipal area. The Riserva Naturale Oasi faunistica di Vendicari is located there. Its wetlands are of great importance to migratory birds and are home to hundreds of bird species every year during seasonal migrations. For cycling, “Noto in Bici” is documented as a public and automated bicycle rental service in the Municipality of Noto’s bike-sharing system. As another location option, you can also access Rigolizia.

Further destinations for orientation: Belvedere, Fontane Bianche, San Corrado Di Fuori, Plemmirio, Portopalo Di Capo Passero, Syracuse.

More about the destination

Relevant information for your travel planning:

Val di Noto - Sicily.

To the higher-level travel overview: Syracuse.