Page 336 - The Rough Guide of Sicily

Sicily’s southeast has always ranked among the island’s most alluring regions, and
in Siracusa it boasts a city whose long and glorious history outshines all others on
the island. Indeed, Siracusa was once the most important city in the Western
world, though with most business activity located elsewhere and all political

power centred on Palermo, its status today is as a provincial capital. Yet it
remains the most interesting destination in this part of the island, charged with
historical resonance, and a useful base for visiting many other regional highlights,
few more than 45 minutes’ drive from the city.

Inland, the southeast is characterized by the rough and wild Monti Iblei, riven by
spectacular ravines, or cave, which are riddled with rock-cut tombs that prove
occupation of the area as far back as the thirteenth century BC. The most famous is
Pantalica, northwest of Siracusa, Sicily’s greatest necropolis, while at the Cava
Grande del Fiume Cassibile, near Avola, you can peer into the distant depths of
Sicily’s own “Grand Canyon”. Greek colonists later appropriated many early

Neolithic sites, founding towns at Megara Hyblaea, on the coast north of Siracusa
near Augusta, and inland at Akrai, just outside the attractive small town of Palazzolo
Acreide. Several other much smaller archeological sites lie strung along the coast,
often set beside otherwise unsung sandy beaches.

However dramatic the natural scenery, it’s the built environment that most defines the

southeast. Earthquakes have repeatedly afflicted the area, none so destructive as that
of January 11, 1693, which devastated the entire region. This catastrophe did,
however, have one lasting effect: where there were ruins, a confident new generation
of architects raised planned towns, displaying a noble but vivacious Baroque style that

endures today. Noto and Ragusa Ibla have some of the most spectacular Baroque
cityscapes, though nearby Modica and Scicli hold Baroque centres of varying
refinement. Local authorities have slowly awoken to the tourist potential hereabouts:
the southeast holds more B&Bs than any other region of Sicily, many housed in
restored Baroque mansions, while tours and activities are increasingly available, from
mountain-biking to gorge-walking.

The coast is a mixed bag, virtually off-limits north of Siracusa thanks to the
petrochemical industry that disfigures the Golfo di Augusta. To the south, sandy
beaches have spawned small-scale dormitory towns aimed squarely at a local
clientele – none has much architectural charm, but the beaches are good. The only real
exception is the coastline south of Noto, from Avola to Sicily’s southern cape, Capo

delle Correnti, in between which lie assorted pristine beaches, old tuna-fishing
villages and market-garden towns, with the undisputed highlight being the lagoons,
paths and bird hides of the Riserva Naturale di Vendicari. West of the Capo, there is