This post is a continuation of a series documenting our travels across the Eastern part of the scenic Italian island of Sicily in the spring of 2025. We had spent an amazing 3 days in Taormina ( Taormina at Dawn – Serene & Beautiful – Exploring Eastern Sicily, Part 2 ) followed by 3 even more spectacular days in the island neighbourhood of Ortigia of Siracusa ( Morning walks around Ortigia – Exploring Eastern Sicily, Part 6 ). It was now time to move on, and our next destination was the town of Noto, known as Sicily’s Baroque Gem.
Noto is usually thought of as a day trip destination from Siracusa. We however like spending at least a night in such places. Doing that gives us the evening and the early morning to enjoy the town without the day tripping crowds. As an added bonus we had booked a room at a small B &B called Il Giardino del Barocco – translated to the Baroque garden which looked like an amazing place to spend a night in.
We had received notice of a Trenitalia strike on the day of our travel a couple of days ago and had booked bus tickets instead ( Our train tickets were duly refunded without any efforts). We walked to the bus station which was right outside the train station with our luggage and waited for our bus to Noto. It seems many people had not paid attention to the train strike notice and were now scampering for bus tickets. My OCD about checking all details had paid off for a change!
We got on our bus and had a smooth 1.5 hour ride to the town of Noto. We alighted at the bus stop and with the help of my downloaded offline map made our way to the B & B. As expected our rooms weren’t ready that early so we kept our luggage and left to see the Old town centre which is a street away from the B & B.
Noto was fully rebuilt at this location after the quake of 1693 fully flattened the original town of Noto Antica. Instead of rebuilding at the same location they moved the town a few kilometres away and rebuilt in in grand baroque style but with a regular grid pattern, wide straight streets and huge squares – all measures to give the townsfolk a place to assemble if another quake hit. Thankfully it hasn’t, but it has given us a beautiful uniform Sicilian town that is very different from the narrow lanes of Taormina and Ortigia that we had wandered till now.
We made our way to the square closest to the B & B which was the Piazza XVI Maggio. Immediately I knew that I would take a lot of photos in my 24 hours in this town ( A warning for the long post ahead!). We saw the Church of San Domenico which was on the square and went inside.
The church of San Domenico on the Piazza XVI Maggio
The uniform baroque architecture was on full display. I enjoy my church photography due to the pleasing symmetric architecture and it would be no different in Noto. We walked around the beautifully decorated church, did our church routine of sitting in the pews for a few minutes before walking back into the square.
A beautifully carved crucifix at the Church of San Domenico
The baroque interiors of the Church of San Domenico
View of the Piazza XVI Maggio from the steps of the Church of San Domenico
Just as we were about to move on we saw a small Arancini shop called Arancina Adoro on the corner of the square that looked like a great place for a quick snack. We went inside where we were greeted with a wide smile. We ordered two arancinis – a spinach one for the better half and a ham and cheese one for myself. I couldn’t resist having a bottle of cold local beer on that beautiful spring afternoon. We enjoyed the piping hot arancini in peace on a outdoor table before resuming our walk through Noto.
With our light lunch at the Arancina Adoro in Noto
Piping hot Arancini are a must have in Sicily
We then walked the length of the Main Street – the Corso Vittoro Emmanuele ( You will find main streets named after him in almost all Italian cities!) which was beautifully decorated with a canopy of embroidered rings – each with a unique design, making for a beautiful mosaic with the blue sky as background. We noted the wide streets branching out from the main drag unlike the narrow lanes in Ortigia.
Wide streets branching out from the Corso Vittorio Emmanuele
The canopy made of embroidered rings decorating the Main Street in Noto
The next church on the Main Street was the Church of San Carlo. The facade was typical of the baroque style with ornate and decorated pillars and windows. Inspite of the relatively wide street I could barely get the full facade in frame even with my ultra wide lens.
The Church of San Carlo in Noto
We went inside and knew what to expect – tall painted ceilings, ornate pillars and a gilded altar. We did our church routine and then we proceeded to the main attraction of this church – the roof climb. We paid the entry fees for the same and climbed up the extremely tiny but steep steps (especially for my huge feet!) to reach the roof which had great views across the centre and even the countryside beyond.
The beautiful interiors of the Church of San Carlo
The decorated pulpit and the gilded altar of the Church of San Carlo
I had read that this view was the best in all of Noto and it was even better than advertised. The baroque limestone buildings of the centre with beautiful blue skies with pretty clouds overhead made it an ideal day to be on that Church roof. We took in the view all around and took more photos than we needed to including some with the bells from the old church. We also put the mini tripod to use to take photos of both of us since we were the only ones up on that roof.
The view of the Cathedral of San Nicolo and the Piazza Municipio from the roof of San Carlo
The better half poses with the perfect view of Noto
Tiled roofs of the centre with modern buildings and the countryside beyond
The churches of the old church which are huge and make quite a loud gong!
The Corso Vittorio Emmanuele and the embroidered canopy we had just walked under
Tiled roof of the Church of San Carlo
The beautiful skies above make an already beautiful view better
More photos from the Roof of the Church of San Carlo – A must do in Noto!
After we had our fill of the view we went back down the steep steps without incident and emerged back out on Corso Vittorio Emmanuele. We saw a church at the end of the lane directly opposite the Church of San Carlo. Never averse to going to another church we walked the lane noticing the beautifully decorated balconies, making a note to myself to get the 300mm here the next morning to get some close ups of the same. We learnt later that this was the Corrado Nicolaci lane that is transformed into a floral tapestry each year in the third weekend of May. We were too early for that but the lane was still a pretty one.
The Via Corrado Nicolaci with its decorated balconies in Noto
We entered the Church of Montevergini to find it decorated by the flags and banners of various guilds of Noto which are taken out in the Easter Procession. Even this tiny Church had a beautifully painted ceiling. We followed our usual church routine before stepping out.
Inside the small but beautiful Church of Montevergini in Noto
We then decided to walk back via the next lane just besides the Cathedral which was yet another cobble stoned wide street but with a different pattern to the cobble stones. It’s always a pleasure wandering through these pretty Old town streets anywhere in Italy – Noto was one of the better ones.
Taking a different lane back to the Cathedral
We had already visited 3 churches and we still hadn’t visited the Cathedral of San Nicolo. So we climbed the extremely picturesque steps & bought the tickets to see the interiors ( the only ticketed church interiors in Noto). The Cathedral was nearly destroyed in 1996 when its dome collapsed due to lack of maintenence which obviously led to a scandal. Fortunately it brought focus on the need to preserve this beautiful city and funds were raised to reconstruct the dome and the church which was completed in 2007.
The Cathedral of San Nicolo in Noto
The interior although new has been restored following the old style to the T. We walked through the wide nave to look up at the newly reconstructed dome.
The reconstructed dome of the Cathedral in Noto
The church also has crosses made from the wood of shipwrecked boats of African refugees displayed throughout the church. The church also has various stained glass windows showing saints old and new and we were pleasantly surprised to see a window dedicated to Mother Teresa of Kolkata here in Noto.
A cross made from the shipwrecked boats of African refugees
A stained glass window showing Mother Teresa of Kolkata
A selfie in the wide nave of the Cathedral of San Nicolo in Noto
After following our church routine we walked out of the Cathedral only to stop and take photos of the pretty building directly opposite – the City hall or the Palazzo Ducezio.
The City hall of Noto from the steps of the Cathedral
We then moved on towards the next square the Piazza San Fransesco all’Immacolata. A double levelled square with yet another church on one level and a fountain on the lower level. We were not yet churched out so we went to the Church of San Francesco which turned out to be yet another baroque masterpiece. As in most other European towns there were hardly any people inside the churches even though the streets had lots of people walking through.
The Church of San Francesco in Noto
Beautiful interiors of the Church of san Francesco in Noto
Stained glass windows are always a pleasure to photograph – even the simple ones
The intricate altar at the Church of San Francesco
The Dual level Piazza San Francesco all’Immacolata
We finally reached the end of our Noto Centre walk as we reached the Porta Reale or the Royal gate built in 1838. It is topped by three different sculptures – A pelican , A tower and a Cirneco (local dog breed ) symbolising dedication, strength and fidelity! The gate area is closer to the parking lot and the bus stop and hence had a lot more people milling around. We decided to return her later to take more photos with fewer people around.
The Porta Reale – the Royal Gate of Noto Centre
All that walking had put us in the mood for some dessert and we went to the Caffe Costanzo a famous Gelateria and Pasticceria in Noto. We ordered a strawberry granita with cream for the better half while I ordered a coffee and a tiramisu. It was a great way to end our first walk through the Old centre of Noto.
At the Caffe Costanzo enjoying our desserts
Enjoying a cup of freshly brewed coffee in Noto
Tiramisu and Strawberry Granita with cream – Both were excellent!
The better half enjoys her Granita
We returned to the B & B where our room was now ready and we rested our legs for some time, enjoying a nice siesta after a nice walk through Noto.
The Teatro Tina di Lorenzo – A small theatre in Noto
The beautiful courtyard garden at the Il Giardino del Barocco
Our room at the B&B Il Giardino del Barocco
We would leave the B &B only at dinner time since we had seen all the interiors we wanted to see and the next item on the agenda was seeing the town all lit up. We hoped that by the time we finished dinner it would get dark and we would get to walk through a beautifully lit up Noto.
We went to the Cantina Modica di San Giovanni which had drawn my eye as much for its location as for its menu. It was right on the picturesque Via Corrado Nicolaci we had walked on earlier in the day. We chose an outdoor table as it was a beautiful evening & ordered a Pasta Ala Norma for the better half and a veal steal for myself. I also ordered a red wine for myself as they supposedly were the only winery in Noto. The food and the ambience were great but what pushed it even beyond was the service with a smile by the Bangladeshi expat head waiter. I got a chance to practice my Bengali on a guy whose Bengali was rustier than mine after 15 years in Noto. He took us to tour the upper level which is a museum of sorts with a personal collection of antiques of the owner. It was one of the best meal experiences we had in this trip.
Enjoying our dinner at the Cantina Modica di san Giovanni in Noto
Enjoying my veal steak and red wine
The inner courtyard of the restaurant on way to the museum at the upper level
The upper level also give a great view over the Cathedral dome
Getting more photos clicked at this pretty location
The Cathedral dome from the balcony of the restaurant
Personal collection of antiques on the upper level of the restaurant
Enjoying the view over the Via Corrado Nicolacci from the restaurant balcony
The pretty balconies from the restaurant
The better half poses after a memorable meal in Noto
By now the lights had come into full effect and Noto’s limestone building shone golden in the light. I have already described the buildings previously so will just let the photos do the talking.
The Cathedral of San Nicolo at night
A selfie with the lit up Cathedral
Enjoying some people watching on the steps of the Cathedral in Noto
The City hall all lit up
The steps of the Cathedral at Noto
The Church of San Francesco at night
The Porta Reale beautifully lit up
The fountain at the Piazza San Francesco all’Immacolata
A first WW monument in Noto
The first WW monument in Noto we hadn’t photographed in the day
The Church of San Carlo we had climbed up in the day
The embroidered mosaic looks even better lit up
A Selfie begging to be taken – with the embroidery canopy in Noto
We returned to our B &B having enjoyed our night walk through Noto. We slept peacefully to get up early the next morning and do our usual early morning walk through the centre. We would be leaving Noto after breakfast and we didn’t want to miss another chance to walk through those limestone buildings one last time.
Piazza XVI Maggio early in the morning
The fountain in the Piazza XVI Maggio
Beautiful skies make the scene prettier in Noto
Walking under the canopy one last time
Corso Vittorio Emmanuele wears a deserted look early in the morning
So does the Via Corrado Nicolaci !
The Cathedral steps at Noto
The Piazza Municipal early in the morning
Enjoying an early morning walk through Noto
The steps of the Church of San Francesco
The multileveled Piazza San Francesco all’Immacolata
Finally we have the Porta Reale to ourselves
On the way back to the B &B I put on the 300mm lens to photograph the sculpted balconies and got a few nesting swallows as a bonus!
Swallows make the carved limestone buildings a scaffold for building their mud nests
The 300 mm brings a sculpture on top of the Cathedral in focus
The unique carved balcony supports in Noto with the 300mm
The sculpture topping the theatre in Noto
With our morning walk done we returned to the B &B where a sumptuous breakfast was waiting for us, served in the most exquisitely decorated breakfast hall of the erstwhile palace. We had built up our appetite with all the walking and enjoyed the fresh baked goods on offer to the fullest.
Enjoying our breakfast at the Il Giardino del Barocco
After our breakfast we spent our last hour in Noto enjoying the garden of the B & B. The owner had told us that we were welcome to take a few fruits from the trees if we wanted. We took a couple of oranges and some great local peaches that we would enjoy on our train ride to Ragusa.
Enjoying our last hour in the gardens
We then collected our luggage and said goodbye to our wonderful hosts and walked to the Noto train station where we would be taking a train to the next destination – the hill town of Ragusa. It was the place I was looking forward to the most as it had some of the most photogenic spots in Sicily.
Waiting on the train station at Noto
Whether Ragusa would meet my expectations is topic for another post some other time, some other day.
I have gone on far too long ( continuing my recent trend of long posts!) and posted far too many photos but writing separate posts describing the same walk at night and early morning would have been far too repetitive. So I hope the photos do it some justice!
Till next time,
Ciao!
yogictravel 
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