Rebuilt from nothing after the earthquake of 1693, Noto’s honey-stone Corso Vittorio Emanuele is often called the most intact Baroque street in Europe. It anchors the Val di Noto, a group of eight Sicilian towns raised on new town plans after the disaster and inscribed together by UNESCO in 2002.
At a glance
The Val di Noto is a serial UNESCO World Heritage property comprising eight towns in south-eastern Sicily, all rebuilt after the earthquake of 11 January 1693 destroyed the medieval centres of the region. Noto, Ragusa Ibla, Modica, Scicli, Catania, Caltagirone, Palazzolo Acreide and Militello in Val di Catania each received a new, planned layout in the following decades, producing what is considered the most coherent expression of late Baroque architecture and urbanism in Europe.
Noto itself, sometimes called the capital of the Sicilian Baroque, was built entirely from scratch on a ridge some ten kilometres from the ruined old town, now known as Noto Antica.
Key facts
- Earthquake: 11 January 1693, magnitude roughly 7.4, with an estimated 60,000 to 70,000 deaths and 45 towns destroyed.
- Rebuilding: eight towns reconstructed on new urban plans between 1693 and 1740, overseen by the Royal Engineers Commission appointed by the Viceroy of Sicily.
- UNESCO status: inscribed in 2002 as the Late Baroque Towns of the Val di Noto (reference 1024).
- Key architects: Rosario Gagliardi, Vincenzo Sinatra and Andrea Palma, responsible between them for the cathedrals and major churches of Noto, Modica and Ragusa Ibla.
- Noto’s main street: Corso Vittorio Emanuele, about 1.2 kilometres of limestone facades laid out on the 1693 urban grid.
History
The earthquake of 11 January 1693 ranks among the most powerful seismic events recorded in the Mediterranean before the twentieth century. It ruptured a fault beneath the Iblean plateau and was felt as far away as Rome and Malta, levelling the medieval centres of south-eastern Sicily within moments. In the aftermath, the Viceroy of Sicily set up a Royal Engineers Commission, which toured the devastated towns within months of the disaster and decided, town by town, whether to rebuild on the original site or move to a new one.What you see
The Noto visit centres on the walk along Corso Vittorio Emanuele, from the neoclassical Porta Reale to the Cattedrale di San Nicolò, its broad stone staircase and three-tier facade in golden Iblean limestone forming the best-known view in the Val di Noto. A short detour to the Palazzo Villadorata reveals its six carved stone figures, grotesque faces representing different social types, supporting the balconies on the main facade, among the most extreme decorative flourishes of the Sicilian Baroque.In Ragusa Ibla, the church of San Giorgio shows Rosario Gagliardi’s theatrical concave-convex facade beneath a tall central tower, while the nearby Giardino Ibleo opens onto views over the Irminio valley gorge below the town.
Practical information
- Visiting Noto: the historic centre is best explored on foot; allow a few hours for the Corso, the Cathedral and Palazzo Villadorata.
- Combining towns: Noto, Ragusa Ibla and Modica are commonly visited together over two days using regional bus services.
- Current details: for opening times, admission arrangements and transport timetables, check directly with the relevant municipal or heritage authority before travelling.
Getting there
Noto lies in the province of Syracuse and is reached by regional coach services from both Catania and Syracuse, as well as onward connections towards Ragusa. Travellers are advised to confirm current routes and timetables with the local bus operator rather than relying on fixed schedules.Nearby
- Ragusa Ibla — the lower part of Ragusa, rebuilt on its original medieval site with a new Baroque street plan and home to the church of San Giorgio.
- Modica — known for two parallel main streets on different levels and for its distinctive cold-worked chocolate, made using a technique traced back to Aztec recipes.
- Scicli — a narrow town set at the meeting point of three converging valleys.
- Caltagirone — famous for its ceramics and for the Scala di Santa Maria del Monte, a stepped staircase covered in decorated tiles.
Sources
- UNESCO
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