Noto and Ragusa - Day two

We left Syracuse Sunday morning in route to Ragusa.  Along the way, we planned to stop and see Noto as well.

The Montalbano novels by Andrea Camilleri and the subsequent TV programs are what led us to Sicily initially.  The books provide a vivid sense of the southern portion of Sicily, and the TV programs were filmed in several cities, Ragusa being one of them. 

The drive

The drive from Syracuse to Ragusa through Noto begins on the E45, a decent two lane highway.  As noted previously, driving in Sicily is a bit adventurous.  As an example, in one two mile stretch of highway, the speed limit changed six times, from 110 KPH to 30 KPH to 60 KPH.  Theoretically, all of the highway is monitored for speed violations.  While I tried to obey the speed limits, the locals sped by at high speeds in the left lane.  And the Sicilian drivers are somewhat, um, impatient, if you are in a lane and going more slowly than they want to go.  First, they blink their headlights, then they draw so close you feel they are sitting in your own back seat, before they speed past. 

The drive is interesting and beautiful, and at most intersections there are signs to historic landmarks or Greek or Roman ruins.  We did not exit to see these as we were pushing on to Noto and Ragusa, but what we found is that you can find interesting sites along almost any highway.  The drive cuts through major agricultural landscapes where you can see oranges, lemons, olives and other groves and other crop fields.

Noto

We decided to visit Noto because we'd read in Rick Steve's guide to Sicily that the city is beautiful and one of the newer cities built after a significant earthquake in the 1700s.  Noto, unlike a lot of other Sicilian cities, since it is newer, is a much more planned and linear city, but still a very beautiful town, perched, as many Sicilian cities are, on a major hillside.  We found Rick Steve's guide to Sicily very useful, often using it instead of hiring tour guides.

In Noto, we parked a few blocks from the main walking street, and spent time walking through the city, looking at the architecture, shops and key tourist spots, as well as climbing the bell tower of one of the major churches in Noto.

Noto walking street

Noto Cathedral

Noto City Archway

Ragusa

Our destination was Ragusa, specifically Ragusa Ibla.  Parts of Ragusa were destroyed in the aforementioned earthquake, leaving Ibla (the older city) in a valley, with Ragusa Superior the new city built on an adjacent higher hill.  Ragusa is occasionally featured in Montalbano and is one of the jewels of the south-central region in Sicily.

Here, we had a room reserved at the San Giorgio hotel.  The hotel is made up of several original buildings, several of which are built into the side of a hill.  We entered the hotel on the lowest level, which faces the valley below Ragusa, and our room had a view of the valley.  When we exited toward Ragusa Ibla, we left at the top of the hotel on the opposite side of the building.

The San Giorgio was an extremely pleasant place to stay, very convenient to the major sites in Ibla and a moderate walk to Ragusa Superior.  We simply parked on the street below the San Giorgio and walked to all of the sites.  I'd also recommend the included breakfast at the San Giorgio, a very nice spread with a wide array of foods.

Ragusa sites

We walked through Ragusa Ibla, looking at sites such as the main cathedral.  Ragusa Ibla is primarily a walking town and is fairly hilly, so bring your walking shoes.  At one end of town is a beautiful little park with a great view of the valley leading to Ragusa.  From there you'll pass the piazza with the Cathedral.  There's a great view of Ragusa Superior just behind the dome of the Cathedral, and the viewpoint is marked with signs.

Ragusa Ibla street with view to cathedral

From there we walked to the edge of Ragusa Ibla and looked up at Ragusa Superior.  There are switch back streets that will take you up to Superior, but the best way to go up is Via Scala, a complex set of stairways leading up and through a residential part of town.  There are excellent views of Ragusa Ibla along the way, well worth the trip.

Ragusa Ibla seen from Ragusa Superior

For dinner, we walked through the town and stuck our heads into a few restaurants.  Several claim to be the sites of Montalbano TV sets, including La Rustica.  However, we wanted to eat a bit earlier, and we found Cucina Sincera on the piazza.  There we had an excellent meal, finished by one of the best limoncello shots I've ever had.

Ragusa Superior is a more modern city and once you've climbed the stairs for the view of Ragusa Ibla there are a few museums and other attractions, but for us, the time we spent in Ibla was more important.