A SICILIAN adventure

With its beautiful villages and countryside, the south-east corner of Sicily deserves to be on every traveller’s wish list

- HELENA CARTWRIGHT

When this part of Sicily was devastated by a powerful earthquake in 1693, no expense was spared when it came to rebuilding. The result; a cluster of eight late-baroque towns in the Val di Noto, which are striking enough to have made it to UNESCO’s list of World Heritage Sites.

One of these is Ragusa Ibla, and the view as you arrive is almost unbelievably beautiful, with terracotta-roofed buildings draped down the side of a hill. This was once the only Ragusa but, after 1693, a newer one – Ragusa Superiore – was created on the ridge above. But people were reluctant to abandon the familiar streets, so rebuilt their original town in a suitably ornate style as well.

Wander its winding alleyways, which are paved with the same local limestone used for the buildings, and you’ll find everything from richly carved balconies to riotously decorated churches, along with inviting cafes, restaurants and a variety of shops.

Noto is another must-see, with its broad, main street lined by richly ornamented churches, convents and palazzos. Head down the inviting alleyways that lead off it and you’ll find plenty of wonders – balcony supports carved to look like horses, colonnaded entrances and serene courtyards. There’s more wedding cake architecture at charming Scicli, where lavish baroque churches seem to appear wherever you look, as well as cave dwellings that were lived in until the 1950s, and are now used as shops.