Noto: the stone garden

Noto, in the province of Syracuse, is one of the "baroque jewels" of the island. Thanks to the magnificent architectural details of its churches and nobiliary buildings, the town belongs to the world culture heritage list of Unesco. The town is also known as "stone garden".

Noto was built from the year 1693, after a tremendous heartquake which destroyed the ancient medieval town. For this reason, the town center was built in an uniform baroque style. The "corso" starts at the Porta Reale, a nice arch of triumph in neoclassic style, built in the mid of the 19th century for the visit of the king Ferdinand II of Bourbon. Walking along the main street you wull entcounter an impressing sequence of sumptuous religious buildings: the San Francesco all'Immacolata church, the Santissimo Salvatore monastery, the Santa Chiara church.

In the main square it's possible to visit the imponent cathedral of San Nicolò. The cathedral of Noto is famous for the collapse of its dome in 1996. After long restoration works the cathedral was rebuilt in its originary form and using the same golden limestone which is typical of this area. In the same square it's also possible to visit Palazzo Ducezio, the town hall and to admire the archbishop's palace and palazzo Landolina di Santalfano. Continuing the walk on the main street, you will se the baroque San Carlo Borromeo church and in front of it, via Nicolaci. This street is famous for palazzo Nicolaci, a nobiliary building with wonderful baroque balconies. The "corso" ends with the elegant fontana d'Ercole (fountain of Hercules), the baroque San Domenico church and the neoclassic theater.