From Palazzolo to Noto: discovering two late-Baroque gems – Sicily, Italy

EXPERIENCE:

The Palazzolo Acreide and Noto tour is a journey into the Baroque soul of the two towns that were elected Unesco World Heritage Sites in 2002. Their rebirth, after the Val di Noto earthquake of 1693, has its own, diametrically opposed character: Palazzolo Acreide, formerly Akrai, a Corinthian-Syracusan colony from 664/663 BC, chose to resurrect where the Hyblean plateau was already partially inhabited; Noto renounced its ancient history, preferring to move the town centre further down the valley and favouring an urban layout already used by other earthquake towns: the “herringbone” plan of Hippodamos from Miletus. Two different histories united by the opulence of the magnificent late Baroque architecture, in future memory of the explosive rebirth following the most violent earthquake that Italian history has ever recorded.

TOUR HIGHLIGHTS:

Palazzolo Acreide and its history between Greek civilisation and Baroque beauty.
The city of noto and its late baroque monuments.
Two unique UNESCO World Heritage Sites

Discover top places to stay, exciting tours, and unforgettable events in Italy, and popular cities like Amalfi, Florence, Milan, Naples, Pompei, and Rome.