Ragusa to Noto

May 28, 2018

This area of Sicily is famous for its Baroque architecture which I had heard of and seen pictures of, but there’s nothing quite like seeing it firsthand. Baroque architecture flourished in Sicily, especially after a devastating earthquake in 1693 in which tens of thousands of people died. Whole cities had to be rebuilt and it was in this time that churches and palaces were lavishly decorated with coloured marble and mosaic inlays on the floors (intarsia), façades were built concave or convex rather than straight, stone blocks were ornamented with carvings of leaves, fish-scales and shells, and balconies were accompanied by intricate wrought iron balustrades. UNESCO has designated eight towns, collectively known as the Val di Noto of such architectural importance they are now protected: Caltagirone, Militello Val di Catania, Catania, Modica, Noto, Palazzolo, Ragusa and Scicli.

The festivities and fireworks lasted long into the night in the old town of Ragusa Ibla. We listened to the fireworks as we tried to drift off to sleep. At daybreak, actually 8:00 am, we emerged from our rooftop room onto the terrace for our breakfast. Lucca made us cappuccino’s and presented us with the world’s best and biggest lemone/pistacchio ricotta stuffed croissants which he had picked up from the pasticceria this morning. Oh, how I wish I could find these at home! After breakfast with Lucca, his father Angelo, and 3 other female guests on the outdoor terrace we lugged our bikes and gear down the narrow stone staircase to street level, clacking with each step and taking great care not to slide out on our cleats.

We set off on the SS194 towards Modica. We had a sense that heat would be an issue today but for starters we had a nice downhill cruise to the bottom of the valley. This gave us a chance to see the actual physical layout of Ragusa and Ragusa Ibla. Like many of the hilltop towns here, steps and stairways are the only way to navigate certain areas of town. Streets are often too narrow for even the small cars here in Sicily so as a resident you would get plenty of exercise doing your daily errands.

Ragusa on the left and Ragusa Ibla on the right.

Ragusa Ibla, with its Cathedral of San Giorgio.

At the bottom of the hill we crossed the Fiumo Irminio, a dry gulch like almost all the rivers we crossed in Sicily, and we then wound our way up the hillside to the adjacent plateau. Ahead of us we could see the enormous Viadotto Irminio, transporting cars and trucks to travel at high speed across the Sicilian countryside. These concrete strutted highways are seen all over Sicily smoothing out the mountainous terrain to enable rapid travel between major centres. This particular bridge has two of Europe’s 10 highest piers, the tallest one rising 435 feet (132.5 meters) from the top of the foundations to the underside of the supporting beam. We thanked our lucky stars we hadn’t accidentally chosen that route this morning.

After summiting the ridge and a ride along the plateau we neared Modica, another Baroque town which also happens to be famous for its chocolate. Like so many towns and cities here in the Hyblian Mountains, Modica was built around a junction of steep valleys. The more recent though still historic Modica Bassa lies along the valley bottom. We had had already wiped out our water supply by the time we arrived so we screeched to a halt when I spotted a small grocery store to buy some cold drinks (I still can’t believe we’re drinking Fanta and Coke!). In a nearby roadside park, there were four benches, each one occupied by an old man. I’m reasonably sure that two middle aged lycra clad cyclists were a rare sighting for these gentlemen but but they were non-plussed and didn’t seem to mind sharing a bench with us.

We had no plans to stop in Modica as it was very hot and busy, and we were focussed on getting to Noto but it certainly looks like it would warrant a stop on your itinerary if you’re ever in the area.

We had to descend into the valley and became one with the hustle and bustle of Modica in order to carry on our route to Noto. With a little help from a passerby we found the tiny street that would lead us up the steep winding hill out of town. Once at the summit, we were on another plateau and out in the cooling breeze, cruising downhill past farmland that was divided up into plots by ancient dry stone walls. Many were full to the brim with wheat while others were home to cattle.

Cattle and wheat behind the dry stone walls.

We cruised along the plateau for another 7km and then descended down into a small valley. On the climb out of the valley I glanced across and noticed springs emerging from the rock walls which were dotted with caves overlooking a fertile valley with palms and thick vegetation. Sicily is such a dry place that it seemed this spring was significant but we couldn’t discern what that would be. Indeed it was a place of significance. The narrow valley extends for 14k and what we were seeing was an entrance to the Cava d’Ispica. I have since learned is one of the largest archaeological sites in all of Sicily, home of a large cave complex. It houses early Christian catacombs with 464 burials dated from the 4th and 5th C, a Hellenistic Gymnasium, a cave church, an oratory with its own necropolis, cave dwellings from pre-historic caves to medieval troglodytes, an Arab-Norman multi-storey housing complex excavated in the rock, and a “pharmacy” room. Such is the nature of travel: you have to make choices about where you spend your time and you certainly can’t see it all in one go.

Dry stone walls demarcated the plots of land in this area.

We cruised on downhill in the light breeze, stopping in Rosolino for a lunch at a macelleria (butcher’s). Stores here are not signed so we often ride right past them unknowingly. In this case, we asked a local where we could get a panini and he pointed to the nearby macelleria which we still didn’t see until we were almost on the doorstep. The bead curtain at the doorway is the best clue we could come up with. Inside, they were doing a bustling business and they were pleased to make us up a couple of nice ham and provolone paninis. We sat on the curb outside and ate our panini and cokes.

The riding was easy, albeit on a very rough surface, all the way to Noto. As we rounded the curve and saw Noto for the first time, my jaw dropped and my first thought was ... what country am I in?? It was drop-dead gorgeous on first sight and it only became more beautiful the closer we got. Noto is built on a grid so it was fairly easy to locate our B&B in the centre of town. On the way, we stopped at a bar/cafe for a limone granita to help cool down. These are like flavoured ice smoothies and are ultra refreshing on a hot day. Once again, we passed on the accompanying brioche. After we had settled in at the B&B, cleaned up and had a rest we headed off to feast our eyes on its beautiful Sicilian Baroque architecture. Noto is particularly gorgeous because of its ochre colour and the density of baroque structures with sweeping curves and orate decorations, even the balcony supports on many of the buildings were elaborate. Adding to the ambience was the fact that it is clean and the main part of town had a pedestrian zone. We didn’t encounter any tour buses here so it wasn't over run with tourists.

These steps were dressed in faux artwork (peel and stick!)

Curved walls are one element of Sicilian Baroque.

I think this was my absolute favourite balcony.

The evening sunlight shone a perfect light on Noto, enhancing its beauty.

Inside the cathedral there was an art display. On first glance I didn’t quite understand what this random assembly of used wood was all about. When I learned it was made of pieces of broken boats used by those fleeing wars to reach the shore of Sicily, the goose bumps covered by body. What a timely and important message. Over 600 people have already died this year attempting to cross the Mediterranean Sea. Those are the ones that have been counted.

Who cries for those who died? Pieces of broken boats that carried people fleeing wars to Sicily’s shores.

The Ducezio Palace, currently houses the Town Hall.

We were fortunate to get a prime seat on the large stone window ledge at one of the restaurants. We enjoyed a bottle of Nero d’Avola with our meals, which were not too shabby either! I had what’s become my favourite pasta here, the pasta à la Norma. It is a tomato, olive and roasted eggplant sauce served on any number of different pasta shapes served al dentè and topped with a dried ricotta cheese. We noted that Italian al dentè is considerably more chewy than ours, even though we don’t overcook our pasta. I believe this makes pasta a bit better for you as it lowers the glycemic index.

Pasta a la Norma (eggplant in tomato sauce).

As the sun set at about 8pm, the temperature immediately dropped too. This is when Sicilians come out of their homes, streets fill and socializing and eating takes place. How wonderful that we get to experience this for a whole month -- I’m reminded of the name I saw on a restaurant on our first day -- Privilege.

Many of the buildings and fountains are lit at night so we strolled a bit after dinner to see Noto at night. It’s a must see if you’re ever in Sicily.

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Today's ride: 56 km (35 miles)
Total: 629 km (391 miles)

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