Noto

Our final day of this Sicily excursion was a bit less strenuous. We wanted to visit Noto, one of the "Baroque Villages" of southern Sicily.

Hordes of tourists flood into Noto

A massive, estimated level 7.4 earthquake centered near Siracusa on January 11 of 1693. The quake completely destroyed at least 70 towns in Sicily and on the Maltese Islands. Because these towns were rebuilt in the early 1700s, at the peak of the Baroque era, the architecture is exemplary of the style. Because there was no FEMA assistance nor insurance settlements, the beauty of these rebuilt towns attests to the prosperity of the area at that time.

Making our way through the crowded streets

Unfortunately, the first bus from Siracusa to Noto doesn't leave until 11 a.m. It gets there right at noon, just as everything is closing for the afternoon siesta. The last bus out of town to the Catania Airport leaves at 4:20 p.m., just about the time siesta is over and everything opens again.

The Duomo opens its doors to the masses.

This seems very bad timing on the part of the bus company -- but they get a lot more business taking people from Noto into Siracusa for work in the morning, and bringing them home again later in the day, than from transporting tourists in the opposite direction.

Grand palaces display Baroque architecture

Because this is definitely the off, off season, quite a few places are simply not open any time of day. And Noto, as a small, rural, Italian town, takes its siesta a lot more seriously than the bigger cities. Thus, we arrived in a place that quickly became something of a ghost town. Even the Tourist Information office was closed!

Packing them in at San Carlo di Corso

We managed to get into a few smaller churches before they closed for the afternoon. The Duomo was already locked up tight when we arrived, and we were told that it would not open until about the time we had to leave.

The Church of San Domenico is only a museum now.

We're not sure where the people of Noto eat lunch, but it must be at home or outside the old, central part of town. Only the most tourist-oriented restaurants were open, none of the authentic local spots could be found. I actually had what I considered a bad meal, but it was mostly my own fault for not being able to read the menu. How was I to know that "alice" is Italian for anchovy?

Another view of the multitudes filling the streets

We had a long wait at the airport, as our plane did not depart until 10:25 p.m. Bus service in Malta shuts down by 11, but we met a Swedish couple in the taxi line who were going to their condo just a few blocks from our flat. We jumped in with them and split the fare for a half price ride, managing to be in our familiar bed by midnight.