Ortigia, Noto and Modica: Sicily's Baroque Southeast

Ortigia, the small island at the heart of Syracuse, and the towns of Noto and Modica lie within about 80 kilometers of each other in southeastern Sicily. Noto and Modica are two of the eight Late Baroque Towns of the Val di Noto, rebuilt or repaired after the earthquake of 1693 and listed by UNESCO in 2002; Ortigia, listed in 2005 with ancient Syracuse, keeps Greek temples inside its baroque streets. Three nights are enough to see all three without rushing.

Is Ortigia, Sicily, worth visiting?

Yes, for how much history fits into about one square kilometer. Greeks from Corinth founded Syracuse on this island in the eighth century BC, and Cicero called it "the greatest Greek city and the most beautiful of all." Three bridges link it to the mainland, and everything on the island is within walking distance.

• The Temple of Apollo. Built in the early sixth century BC, it is the oldest Doric temple in Sicily, according to the city of Syracuse. An inscription names its builder, Kleomenes, and calls the columns "a fine work." The site is closed to visitors, but you see all of it from the street.
• The cathedral. It incorporates a Doric temple to Athena, built under Gelon, the first tyrant of Syracuse, and turned into a church with the coming of Christianity. The earthquake of 1693 destroyed its Norman facade, but the columns of the Greek temple survived and still hold up the building. The present facade was built in two phases, from 1728 to 1731 and from 1751 to 1753.
• Fonte Aretusa. A freshwater spring by the sea, where papyrus grows. In the myth, the nymph Arethusa fled the river god Alpheus and Artemis turned her into this spring.
• Castello Maniace. At the far tip of the island, built under Frederick II and named after the Byzantine commander George Maniakes. It is open to visitors, and a full ticket cost €6 in 2025.
• The market. As of 2026, Via Emmanuele De Benedictis, near the Temple of Apollo, fills with stalls of produce, cheese and fish every morning except Sunday.

What does Ortigia mean in Italian?

The name is Greek. According to the city of Syracuse, it comes from ortyx, the ancient Greek word for quail. An older name for the island, recorded by the poet Nicander of Colophon, was Homothermon, which translates as "equal baths."

Is it better to stay in Syracuse or Ortigia, Sicily?

Stay in Ortigia if you want to walk everywhere, and on the mainland if you are driving. The island is a limited traffic zone that visitors cannot drive into, so cars stay in paid lots at its edge, such as Talete, on the island's northern tip, and Molo Sant'Antonio, across the bridge.

Two of the city's great sights are on the mainland in any case. The archaeological park of the Neapolis, about 2.5 kilometers from the cathedral, holds the Greek theater of the fifth century BC, the old stone quarries known as the Latomie, the cave called the Ear of Dionysius and a Roman amphitheater. Caravaggio's Burial of Saint Lucy, painted after October 1608, hangs on the altar of the basilica of Santa Lucia al Sepolcro, about 1.5 kilometers north of the cathedral; as of 2026, entry is free, and the basilica is open every day from 9:00 to 19:00.

In late spring, the Greek theater hosts the season of ancient plays staged by the INDA foundation. In 2026, its sixty-first season, performances ran from May 8, with Euripides' Alcestis, to the end of June.

How many days do you need in Ortigia, Sicily?

Two nights. Give one day to the island at walking pace and one to the Neapolis and the Caravaggio. If you have a car, Ortigia also works as a base for Noto, about 36 kilometers away.

Is Noto in Sicily worth visiting?

Yes. Noto is a town designed from scratch after a disaster. The earthquake of January 11, 1693, destroyed the medieval town on Monte Alveria, and Noto was rebuilt lower down, on the Meti hill, with a new street plan in late baroque style. Elsewhere in the Val di Noto, Catania was rebuilt on its old site and Caltagirone was repaired. UNESCO includes the entire old town of Noto in the listing.

Why is Noto, Sicily, famous?

For its cathedral, its flowers and, lately, television.

• The cathedral of San Nicolò stands at the top of a staircase in four flights. Its construction began right after the earthquake. On March 13, 1996, a collapse brought down the central and right naves; after the rebuilding, the cathedral reopened on June 18, 2007.
• The Infiorata. Since 1980, on the weekend of the third Sunday of May, Via Nicolaci is covered with sixteen designs made of flower petals. The 2026 edition ran from May 15 to 19.
• The White Lotus. In the second season of the HBO series, Daphne takes Harper to Noto for a night. Our guide to The Godfather and The White Lotus filming locations explains where those scenes were actually shot.

What food is Noto, Sicily, known for?

Almonds and sweet wine. The Noto almond is a Slow Food presidium that protects three old varieties, Romana, Pizzuta d'Avola and Fascionello, grown around Noto, Avola, Rosolini and Canicattini Bagni and knocked from the trees with long canes in July and August. They go into pasta reale, torrone, cassata and almond milk.

The Noto DOC covers Moscato di Noto, made entirely from Moscato Bianco grapes, also as a passito and a sparkling wine, and reds based on Nero d'Avola. For the rest of the table, see our guide to what to eat in eastern Sicily.

Modica and its chocolate

Modica climbs the sides of its valley, and its cathedral of San Giorgio sits at the top of a steep staircase of 250 steps. The facade is by Rosario Gagliardi, who also designed San Giorgio in Ragusa Ibla, and ends in a bell tower 60 meters high. Inside, a sun meridian line is traced across the floor of the transept. The poet Salvatore Quasimodo, Nobel Prize in Literature in 1959, was born in Modica on August 20, 1901.

Modica chocolate became a PGI (Protected Geographical Indication) in 2018, under EU Regulation 2018/1529, and the producers' consortium describes it as the first chocolate in Europe with that status. Only chocolate made within the town of Modica can carry the name. It is made from bitter cocoa paste and sugar, and the cocoa mass is heated to no more than 50°C, so the sugar crystals do not melt: the result is a chocolate with a grain you can feel on the palate. Chocolate makers are recorded in Modica from 1746.

What is the most beautiful village in Sicily?

There is no official ranking. In the southeast, the UNESCO list is a good guide: beyond Noto and Modica, it includes the old town of Ragusa, Ragusa Ibla, about 14 kilometers from Modica, and Scicli, about 12. Farther north, near Taormina, Castelmola, Savoca and Forza d'Agrò are members of I Borghi più belli d'Italia.

Getting there and getting around

• By road: Ortigia is about 120 kilometers from Taormina, an hour and a half to two hours by car, and about 65 kilometers from Catania airport. From Ortigia to Noto it is about 36 kilometers; from Noto to Modica, about 39; from Modica back to Ortigia, about 80.
• By train: regional trains link Siracusa, Noto and Modica. On a weekday in October 2026, Siracusa to Noto takes about 35 minutes and Noto to Modica a little over an hour, with a handful of departures a day.
• Timing: the Infiorata falls in May and the INDA season runs from May to the end of June, so book early for those weeks.

For a full route across the east of the island, our eastern Sicily itinerary puts these towns in order with Taormina and Etna.

Our journey Sicily, the Magic of Jasmine spends a day in Syracuse and Ortigia, then closes back in Taormina with a private workshop with a local artisan. It lasts eight days, is based in Taormina, takes up to eight guests and is always accompanied. Noto and Modica fit well into a trip of your own, which starts from design your trip; for the rest of the island, see our Sicily page.