Day 7 • Ragusa, Noto

So yesterday we saw Modica and we head to Noto. It was rebuilt on a grid system after the earthquake destroyed the old city dating from 800BC, 13 km away. The present city is a masterpiece of the Sicilian Baroque and a UNESCO World heritage Site.

a baroque balcony in noto

As usual, it was a bit stressful finding legal parking and orientating ourselves. The main street is lined with immense honey colored baroque churches, palaces, and the Cathedral. We went to a small church called Santa Chiara and climbed to its tower for a panoramic vista of the city.

noto from santa chiara rooftop - worth the 2 euros fee

the honey colored tufa stone architecture

We could see that a procession was about to begin at the cathedral so we went over to check it out. Men were dressed in ceremonial robes holding flags. Today is an Italian holiday, la Festa della Liberazione. On this day in 1945 the Allied troops freed the country.

there are processions and celebrations like this all over italy on april 25 weekend

We did not know we would be in Italy for its Independence Day weekend! That would explain the tons of Italian tourists we've seen the last few days. Here in Noto, there was a celebratory Mass about to start and a small band warming up but we didn't stick around long enough to see it because I was in need of a pharmacy!! The rash on my hands from Segesta was getting worse and I needed to get something for it. The first pharmacy we saw was closed for the holiday and the sign had the address of one open. The pharmacist was very friendly, asking us where we were from and when we said New York he said "Ah, New York - beautiful." He gave me hydrocortisone cream and we were on our way.

this picture does it no justice

We went to a small snack bar and got what was called foccacia but it was nothing like what we had in Palermo. This looked more like a calzone with a thin crist. I got ricotta and spinach and Ken the eggplant. They were delicious. It started to rain and after spending about 2 hours in Noto, we were back on the road. I read about Noto Antica, the old city, and that it was worth a visit. We turned off a small road onto an even smaller one - it was more like a lane. And it was 2-way. We made it to the site and it was also a park and families were out having cookouts around the 2800 year old ruins. It was a wild and overgrown place. Nothing was marked. We didn't stay long.

The main piazza of Ragusa Ibla was packed and lively when we returned. Suddenly we had a have-to-have-gelato attack. Here's the dark chocolate:


We tried to go to some shops but they were closed. After a siesta we headed out about 8:30 for dinner. Tonight we consulted the Michelin guide and went to U'Saracinu for Sicilian grandma home style cooking. The place was crowded and we were lucky to get a table. We opted for a non-pasta dinner, starting with soups: ceci (chickpea) and maccu, a Sicilian bean soup followed by a mixed fish grill. And of course the ubiquitous carafe of wine. There was room for dessert and we split a pistachio cassatina. It was an individual cassata which is sponge cake covered in sweet ricotta, green with pistachio, and shaped like a dome.

cathedral of san giorgio at night