The Road To Siracusa & Noto

Piazza Armerina 

Yesterday, I left Agrigento for Noto. The countryside looked wonderful in the sunshine (the weather had not been great the last few days), with almond, olive and pistachio trees along the way. 

I dropped by the Villa Romana dei Casale, just off the  Piazza Armerina in the photo above. This villa is known to have one of the best collections of Roman mosaics in the world, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. These mosaics date around the 4th century AD and the villa is believed to have belonged to a high level Roman aristocrat.  It was used for entertainment and spa type relaxation (the Romans knew how to live), with various hot and cold water baths and great halls.

On the road to Noto, I realised that we weren't far from Siracusa, perhaps at most an hour off our route. Marco, the driver, happily went off route to Ortygia, the oldest part of Siracusa (Syracuse to you and me), containing many historical landmarks. It was definitely worth the side trip.  The piazza is quite spectacular.

The Cathedral of Siracusa, an old Catholic church which was originally a Greek Temple of Athena, from 5th century BC. Plato and Cicero have mentioned the temple and it still houses the Doric columns of the original temple. 

Piazza del Duomo in Siracusa

The Greek theatre of Siracusa, first built in the 5th century BC.

After my wonderful side trip, I ended up in Noto, a city famous for its Baroque architecture. The restaurants are supposedly quite good here, too, so I'm very excited to sample more local cuisine (it's always about the food.....).

The Cathedral in Noto

Palazzo Ducezio, the municipal hall