Sicily's Noto Valley

An almond granita is what put Sicily’s Noto Valley on the map for me. Back in 2018, I saw an episode of Chef’s Table that followed pastry chef Corrado Assenza, owner of Caffè Sicilia in Noto, who whips up some of the best granitas in Sicily.

I saved it on my map under “want to go” and it sat there, taunting me, for the next six years. Finally, in September 2024, I planned a two-and-a-half-week road trip around Sicily and saved Noto for the last stop.

While I admit my intention of visiting this area was single-minded, as I started doing research before the trip, I realized that I needed much more time than a quick stop in Noto to experience the area. What started as a day trip ended up becoming four days exploring Sicily’s Baroque trail.

The Noto Valley is made up of eight towns, all built in the same gold-hued stone with Baroque architecture. That’s not by chance. In 1693, a massive earthquake leveled much of the area, and the towns were rebuilt from the ground up in the 1700s, in the Baroque style that was en vogue at the time.

In this guide: what we did with four days in the Noto Valley, including two nights in Modica, two nights in Noto, day trips to Ragusa and Scicli, and an afternoon on the beaches at the nearby nature reserve.