Page 374 - The Rough Guide of Sicily

some of Sicily’s most captivating buildings. Now the traffic’s kept out you can stand

back and admire them at will, while floodlights, many set into the pavement, show
them off to glorious effect at night.

The Duomo

Piazza del Municipio • Usually daily 10am–1pm & 5–7pm

Mid-way along Corso Vittorio Emanuele, Piazza del Municipio forms the dramatic
centrepiece of the town’s design, with the imposing twin-towered Duomo
magnificently restored following the dramatic collapse of its dome in 1996. First
completed in 1776, it’s said to have been inspired by models of Borromini’s churches
in Rome – the story of its reconstruction, and some of the Duomo’s treasures, are on

display around the back of the cathedral.

Palazzo Ducezio

Piazza del Municipio • Opening hours vary, and the Hall of the Mirrors is sometimes closed for civic events; check
with the tourist office • €4
Piazza del Municipio is bordered by gleaming buildings restored to look as they must
have done when first built. Opposite the Duomo and currently serving as the

Municipio (town hall), the Palazzo Ducezio presents a lovely, convex front of
columns and long stone balconies. The interior is well worth a visit to see the so-
called Hall of Mirrors, with its splendid trompe l’oeil ceiling.

Via C. Nicolaci

West of the Duomo, the steep Via C. Nicolaci culminates in the elliptical Monte
Vergine church. It’s a perfectly framed view that’s enhanced during the annual
Infiorata flower festival (third weekend of May), when flower petals are laid up the

entire street in a swirl of intricate designs. Palazzo Villadorata, the palace that flanks
the west side of the street, also makes rather an unusual, not to say eccentric, sight.
Onto a strictly classical front six extravagant balconies were grafted, supported by the
last word in sculpted buttresses – griffins, galloping horses and bald and bearded
figures with fat-cheeked cherubs at their bellies. The palazzo is sometimes open for
guided visits – ask at the tourist office.

ARRIVAL AND INFORMATION: NOTO

By bus All buses stop at the Giardino Pubblico at the eastern end of town, close to the
Porta Reale.

Destinations Avola (1–2 hourly; 15min); Eloro (2–4 daily Mon–Sat; 20min); Ispica
(9 daily Mon–Sat, 6 daily Sun; 45min); Siracusa (11 daily Mon–Sat, 4 daily Sun;

55min).