Noto, Sicily Has All of the White Lotus Vibes With Not one of the Crowds

To be the mayor of Noto is just not such a horrible life. To my thoughts, this little metropolis in southeastern Sicily is likely one of the most enchanting in all of Europe. Alongside its foremost drag, Corso Vittorio Emanuele, stands one attractive constructing after one other, constructed within the grand, Seventeenth-century Baroque fashion. The entire place appears like a film set (a steamy episode of The White Lotus was filmed there). Strolling round, gazing up on the carved limestone façades and wrought-iron balconies made me suppose: Wait, that is precisely what all these fancy buildings I’ve seen my total life — the Versace mansion in Miami, the Odesa opera home — are attempting to mimic.

On my current go to, I requested the mayor, Corrado Figura, to clarify Noto’s magnificence. “All of it goes again to the earthquake of 1693,” he mentioned from his workplace in what needs to be one of the splendid metropolis halls, set in a former palazzo. “After that, Noto’s individuals determined to construct a brand new metropolis. They wished the assistance of an important architects of the time. It was all completed in a uniform fashion, the Baroque fashion.” 

“The consequence,” he mentioned, leaning proudly again in a leather-based chair so outdated it creaked, “is that we’re sui generis” — certainly one of a sort. “And we haven’t misplaced our id,” he added. “Should you take note of your previous, you’ll be able to really really feel it.”

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Tourism has been booming in Sicily, even earlier than The White Lotus prompted a significant upswing in visits to the island — particularly to the city of Taormina, the place the second season was set. In contrast with its cousins Taormina and Siracusa, Noto is extra intoxicating and extra lovely, however on the identical time extra actual. It has not but been overrun by the cruise ships, tour buses, and designer shops that may make a vacation spot really feel like an airport departures space. 

To assist us get probably the most out of our journey, my spouse and I turned to Matteo Della Grazia, who runs a small journey firm, Fuoritinerario — Uncover Your Italy. He advised we keep at Q92 Noto Lodge, which is correct within the heart of city. The supervisor, Gaia Quartucci, instructed me how her dad and mom, who run accommodations in Taormina, had purchased a Seventeenth-century nobleman’s home and undertaken a cautious renovation, turning it into a pleasant nine-room lodge. The Q92 (the Q comes from the household’s identify, and 92 is the road handle) served as a base for a late-spring trip, and with the assistance of a rented Fiat 500, my spouse, our two sons, and I explored the entire southeastern nook of Sicily — seashores, nature reserves, cathedrals, pizzerias, and all.

Our boys, ages 12 and 14, are gelato addicts, so mission primary was to carefully taste-test the 2 Noto gelato retailers reputed to be amongst Italy’s finest: Caffè Sicilia and Dolceria Costanzo. We ordered the identical flavors at each, chocolate and ricotta (principally an extra-sweet vanilla). The decision wasn’t even shut. Costanzo was by far creamier and richer. And it got here with a free cookie. As my spouse, Courtenay, mentioned, “What’s to not like?” We discovered a spot to take a seat on the large steps of the cathedral, Noto’s beautiful centerpiece and the right people-watching perch, and after we completed our cones, we ventured inside. 

The cathedral was accomplished greater than 200 years in the past, however the dome collapsed within the Nineteen Nineties after being broken in an earthquake. The complete factor was then rebuilt with native limestone, which takes on, late within the day, the nice and cozy hue of sundown. The inside was huge and funky, with a clean, white-tiled flooring, which a nun was quietly sweeping. Guests drifted out and in. That is principally what you do in Noto. You eat. You stroll. You marvel that there are locations that also actually appear like this.

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A number of the finest spots to soak up Noto’s splendor are the residences of town’s former the Aristocracy. We toured Palazzo Castelluccio, which sank into disrepair after the final marquis died in 1981 — till a French film director scooped it up and introduced it again to life. As we trudged by the palazzo’s polished eating room, music room, and ballroom, it felt like we have been strolling by a recreation of Clue. Sicilian nobles lived giant. There was even a balcony overlooking the courtyard the place the marquis would toss down sweet to kids of the widespread people. (Palazzo Castelluccio has since closed to the general public, however there are many different palaces to tour, together with town corridor, Palazzo Ducezio, and Palazzo Nicolaci, with its façade of carved mermaids and hippogriffs.)

Noto is just not fairly on the coast, nevertheless it isn’t removed from a number of nice swimming spots. Calamosche Seashore and the Vendicari Nature Reserve have been beautiful. Calamosche is a 20-minute hike from the car parking zone­, and a phrase to the sensible: you should definitely stick with the designated spots otherwise you’ll find yourself with a ticket flapping away in your windshield, like we did. However the seashore — an ideal cove with calm, clear water — was greater than price it. The character reserve, which consists of a string of marshes and seashores, is a bird-watching scorching spot. We noticed flamingos, sandpipers, storks, and sleek herons gliding over the wealthy swamp grass.

We labored up an urge for food climbing and swimming, so we have been blissful to make a bit of discovery: granita con brioscia, a.okay.a. the granita sandwich. The Sicilians don’t fiddle with granita, which is what we consider after we say Italian ice — it’s a semi-frozen dessert with a texture someplace between a sorbet and a slushy. At a stand on the coast we realized {that a} fashionable method to eat granita is to take an enormous scoop (ideally the tart-lime taste) and smoosh it between two slices of sentimental, buttery brioche. It’s even higher than it sounds. 

That was simply one of many journey’s many gastronomic highlights. On the flowery facet, our favourite restaurant was Nachè, a minute’s stroll from our lodge, the place we munched on red-tuna tacos, house-made tagliatelle with rabbit from a neighborhood farm, and truffles from the slopes of Mount Etna.

I used to be additionally an enormous fan of La Vecchia Fontana, a pizzeria and bar close to the city’s entrance gate. Don’t be thrown off by the truth that it appears like 1,000,000 different sidewalk cafés: the pizza was completely seasoned, skinny and crisp, however someway gooey on the identical time.

We capped off our final night at Gelati Bianca, which had turn out to be our favourite. You know the way some ice cream servers make you’re feeling dangerous should you ask for too many tastes? Not at this joint. Ours provided samples of flavors we hadn’t even requested. “Do that,” he mentioned. “Cookies.” It left the right aftertaste of biscotti. “And provides this to mama.” Mama fortunately tried the spoonful — tiramisu — then took a full cone of it, and all of us retreated to the cathedral steps to take pleasure in our final hours in Noto. 

That night time there was one thing irresistible in regards to the mixture of the air, the sunshine, the setting. A busker strummed soft-rock classics on his guitar. A number of dozen individuals sat on the church’s steps consuming ice cream and listening. A gaggle of teenagers, who seemed like locals, stood chatting with their buddies, checking their telephones, seemingly oblivious to the magical backdrop that framed their each transfer.

It jogged my memory of one thing Quartucci, the supervisor of our lodge, instructed me in regards to the expertise of opening Q92 again in 2021: that Noto appeared endearingly harmless of its personal charms. “The native individuals,” she mentioned, “didn’t know that they had gold of their palms.” 

A model of this story first appeared within the August 2024 ssue of Journey + Leisure below the headline “Metropolis of Gold.”