The Baroque Towns of Val di Noto
It rained a lot less today which made for a great day of exploring the Baroque towns of Val di Noto.
In 1693, an earthquake devastated the southeast corner of the island, killing half the population. Rebuilt in the Baroque style that was the rage at the time, the 8 towns known as the Val di Noto are an architectural wonder - any which are a popular day trip from Siracusa.
We have our doubts about our GPS. Following her, we kept turning the opposite direction of the signs. "YOU get to see more of the countryside this way," said the driver, whose focused vision never gets to enjoy our driving scenery. I did enjoy it! The rolling, green countryside is picturesque with stone buildings and farms etched out by stone walls.
Our first stop was Ragusa, clinging to the steep hillside. It is actually two towns in one, connected like the humps of a camels back: Superiore (the new town) and Ibla (the "lower" old town). Walking around either one is a workout.
Parked between the two towns, we started with Ragusa Ibla. I struggled to get my bearings in the tangled labyrinth of medieval alleyways. Actually, I was downright turned around because we weren't where we were in my mind. What failed to occur to me is that you could walk up to the top of it and then down to the other side; I don't know why but I assumed it ended at the tippy top with a cliff. That assumption, combined with my assumption that the church faced the opposite town, is what led me astray. So after climbing up to the church, I assumed any downward direction would get us back to our starting point. Nope! Finally looking at a map, I realized - dumbfounded - that we were on the completely opposite end. No worries, just some extra exercise and views of the church. And shock that this town got the best of my strong sense of direction.
There was no getting lost on the other hillside leading up to Superiore. We simply climbed the stairs until we could get high enough for a panoramic view. And then we made it back to our car just in time for the day's heaviest rain.
Next we took a detour from the Baroque towns to head to the seaside. This is where GPS got particularly entertaining with her choices. We drove unlabeled "road" alone and seemingly in the direction of nowhere. It definitely added to our day's adventure!
We drove right through another popular Baroque town, Modico, which was horribly mobbed with traffic - the majority of it thankfully going the opposite direction of us. Even though the town isn't small, there seemed to be only one main road and hundreds of cars determined to use it. I was relieved we weren't one of the cars in the line snaking around to get here. If it is on your list, maybe don't go at noon or come from our direction (Ragusa). If it is not on your list, program your GPS to avoid it altogether.
Our seaside stop was Marzamemi. Off Rick Steves' radar, it is like an undiscovered secret. Arabs put it on the map in the year 1000 and built a tonnara (tuna processing plant) there. We ate a late lunch inside one of the old fisherman houses; disappointingly, it was too windy to enjoy the outdoor cafe.
Our last stop, Noto, was a brief delight. We were in and out in an hour and relished every minute of it.
Greg was giddy to arrive back to Ortigia, ditch the car, and enjoy a beverage (or two).
In 1693, an earthquake devastated the southeast corner of the island, killing half the population. Rebuilt in the Baroque style that was the rage at the time, the 8 towns known as the Val di Noto are an architectural wonder - any which are a popular day trip from Siracusa.
We have our doubts about our GPS. Following her, we kept turning the opposite direction of the signs. "YOU get to see more of the countryside this way," said the driver, whose focused vision never gets to enjoy our driving scenery. I did enjoy it! The rolling, green countryside is picturesque with stone buildings and farms etched out by stone walls.
Our first stop was Ragusa, clinging to the steep hillside. It is actually two towns in one, connected like the humps of a camels back: Superiore (the new town) and Ibla (the "lower" old town). Walking around either one is a workout.
Ragusa Ibla
Parked between the two towns, we started with Ragusa Ibla. I struggled to get my bearings in the tangled labyrinth of medieval alleyways. Actually, I was downright turned around because we weren't where we were in my mind. What failed to occur to me is that you could walk up to the top of it and then down to the other side; I don't know why but I assumed it ended at the tippy top with a cliff. That assumption, combined with my assumption that the church faced the opposite town, is what led me astray. So after climbing up to the church, I assumed any downward direction would get us back to our starting point. Nope! Finally looking at a map, I realized - dumbfounded - that we were on the completely opposite end. No worries, just some extra exercise and views of the church. And shock that this town got the best of my strong sense of direction.
At one end of the Piazza del Duomo is the church of San Giorgio (with its back to the rest of the town)
There was no getting lost on the other hillside leading up to Superiore. We simply climbed the stairs until we could get high enough for a panoramic view. And then we made it back to our car just in time for the day's heaviest rain.
Walking 10 minutes up the stairs to Superiore affords you this incredible view over Ragusa Ibla
Next we took a detour from the Baroque towns to head to the seaside. This is where GPS got particularly entertaining with her choices. We drove unlabeled "road" alone and seemingly in the direction of nowhere. It definitely added to our day's adventure!
We drove right through another popular Baroque town, Modico, which was horribly mobbed with traffic - the majority of it thankfully going the opposite direction of us. Even though the town isn't small, there seemed to be only one main road and hundreds of cars determined to use it. I was relieved we weren't one of the cars in the line snaking around to get here. If it is on your list, maybe don't go at noon or come from our direction (Ragusa). If it is not on your list, program your GPS to avoid it altogether.
Our seaside stop was Marzamemi. Off Rick Steves' radar, it is like an undiscovered secret. Arabs put it on the map in the year 1000 and built a tonnara (tuna processing plant) there. We ate a late lunch inside one of the old fisherman houses; disappointingly, it was too windy to enjoy the outdoor cafe.
Fishing village of Marzamemi (or Marzapan, as Greg calls it)
Entrance to Marzamemi piazza
Settled by Arabs, the architecture in Marzamemi is unique compared to other parts of Sicily
Our last stop, Noto, was a brief delight. We were in and out in an hour and relished every minute of it.
The town of Noto is the jewel in the crown of Sicilian Baroque.
Noto is full of churches, many with views over the Duomo. We took Rick's advice and climbed Chiesa di Santa Chiara.
Late afternoon in any of these towns is glorious, when the sun shines on the golden baroque architecture.
According to some gelato aficionados, Noto has the best gelato in Italy. We tried some from 124 year-Old Caffe Sicilia.
Greg was giddy to arrive back to Ortigia, ditch the car, and enjoy a beverage (or two).
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