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Noto trip planner
A baroque stage set of a town near Siracusa in Sicily
Piazzale XVI Maggio/Corso V. Emanuele
tel. +39-0931-896-654
www.comune.noto.sr.it
and
www.pronoto.it
Hotels in Noto
www.booking.com
www.venere.com
www.hostelworld.com
TOURS FROM TRUSTED PARTNERS
Noto Guide
• Intro
• Sights
• Hotels
• Restaurants
• PlanningNoto is the single best example of baroque urban planning in existence, currently on the road to recovery after years of decay that culminated in the 1996 collapse of the cathedral dome.
The original Noto was so utterly destroyed in the 1693 earthquake that the Duke decided to bag the whole thing and had the city rebuilt from scratch about six miles away, engaging architects Rosario Gagliardi, Vicenzo Sinatra, and Paolo Labisi for the monumental job.
This planned urban landscape—completed between 1715 and 1780—is a festival of orderly baroque exuberance, with churches, palazzi, and open spaces carefully laid out with 18th-century theatrical flair.
After years of general decay, weathering of the golden tufa building stone, and earthquakes that damaged the fabric of Noto's baroque palazzi and churches, a 1986 engineering report that declared the entire city in danger of collapsing. Money poured in from UNESCO and other international bodies to help repair the ailing structures...and most of it disappeared into corrupt politico's pockets.
"Noto is as dream of what Noto once was... A city on the cusp between death and rebirth"
—Barbara Grizzuti Harrison, from The Islands of Italy (1991)But when the dome and roof of the cathedral itself collapsed in 1996, the populace decided they'd put up with political graft and the mafia long enough.
By the summer of 1998, most of the churches and palaces were swathed in scaffolding and being cleaned, restored, and reinforced. By 2006, much of the city had begun emerged from its restorative cocoon—but the cathedral remains closed, its dome cracked open to the skies, and the work goes on...
» Noto Sights
» Noto Hotels
» Noto Restaurants
Planning a trip
- How to get to Noto by car: Noto is 38km (24 miles) south of Siracusa, just off the A18 highway. Noto is about 50km (31 miles) east of Ragusa.
How to get to Noto by train: There are 11 trains (4 on Sunday) from Siracusa (30–33 min). There are three trains a day from Ragusa (84–115 min.), sometimes with a change at Pozzallo. Noto’s train station (tel. 0931-838-733) is just south of the historic center.
How to get to Noto by bus: AST (tel. +39-0931-462-711 or 0931-464-820, www.aziendasicilianatrasporti.it) runs 10 times daily (2 on Sunday) from Via Riva della Poste in Siracusa (55 min.); and 6 times daily (3 on Sunday) from Catania (100 min.). There are 12 buses daily (2 on Sunday) from Ragusa (100–120 min.). Get bus tickets and info in Noto at Efrimedio Caffe at Viale Principe di Piemonte 6, across from the bus stop on Largo Pantheon (tel. +39-0931-835-023).
- Tourist information: The tourist office is behind the fountain on the north side of Piazzale XVI Maggio, a widening of the main drag Corso V. Emanuele (tel. +39-0931-896-654, www.comune.noto.sr.it). It's open June to September Monday to Saturday 8am to 2pm and 4 to 7pm, Sunday 9am to 1pm; October to May Monday to Saturday 8am to 1pm and 3 to 6pm, Sunday 8:30am to 12:30pm.
There's also a local promotional tourism office at Via Gioberti 13 (tel. +39-0931-836-503, www.pronoto.it).
Also check out the private tour agency Allakatalla, just outside the Porta Reale town gate at Largo Porta Nazionale 10 (tel. +39-0931-835-005, www.allakatalla.it), an organization of young residents who've adopted their city's cause by running two-hour walking tours of the city, as well as guided excursions throughout the region themed on other baroque centers, nature, archeology, or a boat tour of the coast. They also rent bikes and scooters by the day, and will help you find a rental room.
- A Noto Festival: Every May 16 to 18, the Infiorata festival of spring covers Via Nicolaci with colorful patterns and scenes mosaicked using flower petals.
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This material was last updated October 2009. All information was accurate at the time.
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