We enjoyed driving in the southeastern region of Sicily a lot. The smaller towns were connected by winding roads with beautiful scenery. This region experienced a catastrophic earthquake in 1693 that leveled everything. The cities in the area were rebuilt in the Baroque style that was popular at the time. We find Baroque to be a bit much, but when surrounded by a stunning landscape, it works.
We stayed in Ragusa, a city with an upper and lower town that overlooks a gorge and includes lots of stairs between levels. Our hotel was built into a hill. The San Giorgio Cathedral is beautiful, especially when lit up at night. We even found a street seemingly named after Jeff’s Dad – in fact, Don Minzoni was a priest killed by fascists in 1923.
From Ragusa we did a driving tour to three nearby towns. Modica sits in a river valley and is credited with making some of the best old-style chocolate. (Sicily was under Spanish rule when explorers returned with many new foods including cocoa beans.) Of course, we stopped into the oldest producer in town where we met a biking tour group from North America enjoying some well-earned chocolate. Having driven the roads, we were impressed with their determination. Modica also had a Cathedral of San Giorgio, designed by the same architect who did the one in Ragusa.
From Ragusa we went to Scicli, a smaller town with plenty of churches. Next was Donnalucata, a small fishing village where we enjoyed a fabulous seafood lunch. We even ate a traditional dish made with “baby fish,” which look like eels. Afterwards we took in the coastline.
We stopped in Noto on the way to Syracuse. Noto is the most Baroque town of all. It was rebuilt with a master plan, the first in Italy. The city is striking.
Some say Noto has the best gelato in Sicily. We tried two different places, and although both were very good, we found the best gelato in Palermo.
More Sicily posts to come,
Shana & Jeff
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