A journey to the extreme southern piece of Italy…

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Few foreign tourists have been seen walking through these lands, but those who went have been overwhelmed by a torrent of sensations… A travel in the south-eastern side of Sicily is a travel into italian folklore, into ancient civilizations, into unexplored natural reserves. In our gadders blog’s travel we stop in two different destinations, Noto, a thousands years old town, and Vendicari, an uninhabitated island.

Noto

Included in the UNESCO list of late Baroque cities of Val di Noto, Noto is one of the loveliest towns in the eastside coast of Sicily, a town completely destroyed by the terrible earthquake of 1693 and rebuilt ten kilometers further downstream, with the contribution of some of the most important engineers and architects of that time.

The new town is now considered a baroque jewel of rare beauty. A garden of tufa and limestone which is developed on a grid pattern, dotted with palaces, churches and historic buildings with monumental facades.

True artworks, designed and sculpted by skillful hands and enriched with sculptural decorations and bas-reliefs. The main artery of Noto, opened by the monumental Porta Reale, is Corso Vittorio Emanuele. A long, straight road, punctuated by three large squares that are home to three of the most important churches in town: the Church of St. Francis of the Immaculate Conception (in Piazza Immaculate), the Church of Santa Chiara and the Cathedral of Noto (in Piazza Municipio, a few steps from Palazzo Ducetius, the town hall), that mainly captures the attention for the elegant staircase and the grand façade.

The best time to visit Noto is during the month of May, during the Baroque Spring and the Flowering of Nicolaci street (third Sunday in May).

Vendicari

The natural reserve of Vendicari is located a few kilometers south of Noto, in eastern Sicily, in front of which lies the homonymous Vendicari Island, and is one of the most important protected natural areas in the region.

The natural landscape of Vendicari is made ​​even more impressive by the beautiful beaches of the coast and the island and the remains of the man who lived in the area since the days of Greeks: the remains of the saltworks, the ancient tuna-fishing nets of the eighteenth century and the medieval tower Sveva. Fans of birdwatching are attracted by the many species of migrating birds that pass through the reserve.