Page 378 - The Rough Guide of Sicily

villages of Marzamemi and Portopalo di Capo Passero serve as small-scale summer
resorts. There are several good rural accommodation options in the area, though with
a car, you could see the whole of the coast – as far as the cape and back – from Noto
in a day, but public transport is practically nonexistent.

Noto Marina and Eloro

Eloro Mon–Sat 9am–1.30pm • Free • Buses operated by Caruso ( 0931 836 23) run from Noto to Noto Marina
Noto’s local beach, 5km southeast at NOTO MARINA (also called Lido di Noto), is
fine for a swim and a bite to eat (in summer at least). You can walk from here (though

it’s easier to drive) just south to the seaside ruins of Helorus, or Eloro, a Syracusan
colony founded in the seventh century BC at the mouth of the Tellaro River. It’s all a
bit ramshackle, and the few remains are quite difficult to make head or tail of, but its
position right above the shore is very attractive. The broad expanse of sand below
offers good swimming, but direct access is tricky from the site: a road to the south,

across the river, leads directly to the beach.

The Riserva Naturale di Vendicari

Daily: April–Oct 7am–8pm; Nov–March 7am–6.30pm • Free, parking €2.50 • 0931 67 450, oasivendicari.net
Some 10km south of Noto is the magical Riserva Naturale di Vendicari, an

enchanting landscape of marshes, lagoons, dunes and saltpans. There’s parking at the
entrance, but no other facilities. Loads of waterbirds can be seen from the hides,
including herons, cranes, black storks and even pelicans, though the more than three
hundred flamingos can be elusive at times, while sandy tracks and boardwalks fan out
north and south through the marshland, leading to some splendid sand crescents. The

reserve takes its name from the brick tower, the Torre Vendicari, which looms over a
part-restored tonnara (tuna-fishing village) by one of the beaches. Its internal
courtyards and sandstone pillars gleam brightly against a turquoise sea. Another good
beach, signposted San Lorenzo, lies just a short drive further south of the reserve,
down the main Pachino road, and has very clear water and a small summer lido.