May 17, 2023

May 17, 2023

This morning we set out from our hotel in Noto to explore the World Heritage site of the Late Baroque Towns of the Val di Noto. The Val is the southeastern corner of Sicily. The geography is very different from what we have seen. It is mostly a rocky plateau that is heavily eroded into steep canyons by several rivers.

We start in the city of Ragusa, clinging to the side of a steep canyon. This corner of Sicily was devastated by an earthquake in 1693 which leveled most buildings. All the cities were rebuilt in the 18th century at the same time in the same Spanish-influenced Baroque fashion. We first visit the Chiesa San Giuseppe that illustrates the style. It has a very ornate three-dimensional facade that was designed to demonstrate the power of the Roman Catholic Church. In comparison, the interior is surprisingly small and subdued in decoration.

We then walked to the Duomo of San Giorgio. This church has a similar Baroque facade. It is built on a hill at the end of a piazza with a long monumental staircase. It looks very impressive. The interior contains a statue of St George slaying the Dragon that is paraded through the city on holy days.

Before leaving town we have a quick lunch of Scaccia, an Italian sandwich. We had one with thin bread filled with ricotta cheese and fava beans. Tasty.

We then drove into the country to visit the Castle of Donnafugata. The Kingdom of the Two Sicilys (Sicily and Southern Italy) was one of the last feudal monarchies in Europe. The Spanish Bourbons were overthrown when Garibaldi invaded Sicily in 1860 and unified Italy for the first time. Peasants were then free to leave the estate. Wanting land of their own, many left for the US.

We toured the once elegant villa. It looks like a time warp to me. With the pealing wallpaper, dusty furniture, and timeless decoration, it looks like the villa was abandoned and never lived in again. I think it is interesting but my travelling companions are not impressed.

We also did a quick tour of the gardens but they are in need of maintenance. The private owners of the estate need a lot more tourist fees to recover that lost glory. One of the highlights of our tour was the return of the cattle and donkeys from the field to the barn.

On our way back to Noto, we stopped in Modica, another Baroque city clinging to a cliff. We started at a nice overlook to get a sense of the layout. We then visited the Duomo, another church dedicated to San Giorgio. Since it is built on the side of a hill it also has a long monumental staircase.

We then followed that up with a visit to a Chocolate store for tastings. Chocolate in Modica is made by a traditional Spanish process of cold mixing the ingredients. As a result it is a little crunchy with undissolved sugar grains. Aimee likes it. Across the street is the Church of St Peter. It has a long staircase filled with statues of the twelve apostles.

On our return to Noto, we had our welcome drink on the hotel terrace. The weather is nice and sunny albeit a little windy. We then went to dinner down the street, where Aimee and I had Swordfish with Caponata. For dessert we found a gelato store.