Noto

If Siracusa's Baroque beauties whet your appetite for that over-the-top style, head to Noto, a UNESCO World Heritage site. Lying about 40 minutes away on the A18, the compact and easy-to-navigate city is doable as a day trip—though staying overnight lets you see the lovely buildings glow in the setting sun after the tourist hordes have departed. Noto's remarkable architectural integrity is due to the fact that the original town—known as Noto Antica and located 14 km (8 miles) away from the current town—was decimated by an earthquake in 1693. When it came to rebuilding, the present site was selected. It lies on a steep slope, with the palaces of the aristocrats concentrated in the lower town, with simpler housing for more ordinary folk set on a grid plan in the upper town. The two sections are a short, steep walk from one another. A prime example of design from the island's Baroque heyday, it presents a pleasing ensemble of honey-color buildings. Simply walking Corso Vittorio Emanuele, the pedestrianized main street, qualifies as an aesthetic experience. You may also recognize the town from Michelangelo Antonioni's movie L'Avventura (or from the more recent White Lotus). Tours of Noto's municipal sights were mired in a legal dispute in 2024, but this should be resolved in 2025.