Sicily · Siracusa
Noto
The capital of Sicilian Baroque, rebuilt entirely in golden limestone after 1693.
Picked by Peter Benei
Letter to come
Why Noto is on our list
It holds UNESCO, Infioritalia and Città d'Arte.
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Visiting
- Best time
- Apr–Jun, Sep–Nov
- By car
- 1 h 23 min from Catania
- By train
- Station in the comune
- Population
- 24,612
- J15°
- F16°
- M17°
- A20°
- M24°
- J30°
- J33°
- A33°
- S29°
- O25°
- N20°
- D17°
- Best
- Hot or crowded
- Quiet
- Mostly closed
Daytime air temperature, averages for 2020–2024. Weather data by Open-Meteo.com.
Why come
Noto stands on a Hyblean foothill ten kilometers inland from the Ionian. The medieval town of Netum, on Monte Alveria eight kilometers north, was abandoned after the 1693 earthquake and rebuilt down the slope as Noto Nuova on a single orthogonal grid, the plan that anchors the Late Baroque Towns of the Val di Noto inscribed by UNESCO in 2002. The cathedral sits at the top of its stairs on Piazza Municipio, facing the civic cluster of Palazzo Ducezio across the square.
Behind it, the ground rises again into Via Nicolaci, defined by the palace built in 1731 and covered each May, since the early 1980s, in petal mosaics for three days. Further along Corso Vittorio Emanuele the Jesuit church adds its own bell tower and a view back over the rooftops. Fifteen kilometers south the coast turns to salt marsh and reserve, a different register of the same limestone country. The local stone itself, a soft tufaceous limestone, turns gold in late light, which is the thread running under the grid, the staircases and the carved balconies alike: a single rebuilding, in a single material, read at every scale from a town plan down to a corbel.
How to get there
From Catania (CTA), about 1 h 21 min by car.
By car from the center of Palermo 3 h 43 min.
There is a railway station in the comune, so you can arrive without a car.
Coming by train into Siracusa? Noto is about 42 min away by road.
Every town within reach of Catania airport.
First time driving in Italy? Read our complete manual.
What to see
Cattedrale di San Nicolò
The staircase it commands is wide enough to hold the whole width of Piazza Municipio in front of it, so the facade reads as the square's far wall as much as a building in its own right.
Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata
The balconies along the street are carried on carved corbels of grotesques and animals, stone figures that project out over the passersby below.
Piazza Municipio and Palazzo Ducezio
Civic square facing the cathedral, with Palazzo Ducezio, the eighteenth-century town hall designed by Vincenzo Sinatra after the rebuild.
Chiesa di San Carlo Borromeo
Mid-eighteenth century Jesuit church on Corso Vittorio Emanuele, climbable bell tower with a wide view across the limestone rooftops of Noto Nuova.
Noto Antica and Cava Carosello
Ruins of the abandoned medieval town on Monte Alveria eight kilometers north, the original Netum left in place after the 1693 earthquake.
From the guides
Where to eat and stay
Not our picks, but places the guides put their name to: a Michelin star, a Gambero Rosso fork, a Slow Food snail, a Michelin Key for the hotels. Worth a table, a counter, or a night when you pass through.
CrocifissoRistorante
One Michelin star for Crocifisso, and two Gambero Rosso forks (84/100).
Principe di BelludiaRistorante
Principe di Belludia has two Gambero Rosso forks (85/100) and a spot in the Michelin Guide.
Anche gli Angeli - Cucina VicariRistorante
Two Gambero Rosso forks (82/100), at Anche gli Angeli - Cucina Vicari.
7 more places the guides name in Noto
Orti VilladorataRistorante
Orti Villadorata carries a spot in the Michelin Guide.
Il San Corrado di Noto ResortHotel
Il San Corrado di Noto Resort has a Leading Hotels of the World listing and a place in the Michelin hotel guide.
Country House VilladorataHotel
One Michelin Key, at Country House Villadorata.
Dimora delle BalzeHotel
Dimora delle Balze has a place in the Michelin hotel guide to its name.
Masseria della VolpeHotel
Masseria della Volpe carries one Michelin Key.
Seven Rooms VilladorataHotel
Seven Rooms Villadorata has one Michelin Key to its name.
Zahir Country HouseHotel
Zahir Country House holds a place in the Michelin hotel guide.
Before you sit down: how to order at a restaurant, how to spot a tourist trap, what aperitivo is and how the Italian bar works.
Living here
Could you live here?
Noto meets 2 of our 3 rules for a small town.
- 24,612 people, above our sweet spot of 5,000 to 20,000: big enough that it can split into neighborhoods.
- Siracusa, a city of 115,776, is 40 min by car. Inside our 30 to 60 minutes: close for the services, far enough to keep its own life.
- A station of its own. Trains are the overlooked way to get around Italy: no parking, straight into the center.
The rules come from our series Where to Move in Italy, written from the places we have lived: Part 1, The End of the Road · Part 2, The Small Town · Part 3, The City · Part 4, The Postcard · Part 5, The Other Half. The towns we would pick are in Part 6, The Best Towns.
- Population 24,612, up 4.2% since 2015
- Nearest city Siracusa, 40 min drive
- Train station in the comune
- Nearest national health service hospital Avola, 6 km as the crow flies · how healthcare works in Italy
- Homes in the center: €840 to €1,200 per m² to buy, €3.40 to €4.80 per m² a month to rent
Weighing a move here? See the moving year.
All the numbers Common questions, designations, lists and sources.
More about living here
- In-between
- Pharmacy in town
- High school within a 30-minute drive
- Full fibre reaches 89% of homes
- Primary school in the comune
- Earthquake zone 1, Italy's highest hazard
- Catania airport (CTA), 1 h 21 min drive, the nearest with scheduled flights
- Regional capital Palermo, 3 h 43 min drive
If you are moving here
Who lives here
4% of residents are foreign citizens, most often from Argentina, Romania and Poland, against 9% across Italy. 168 of them come from English-speaking countries or western and northern Europe, mostly Germany, the United Kingdom and France. There are 171 people over 65 for every 100 children under 15, against 216 across Italy. 45% of homes have no resident, holiday homes and empty ones counted together, against 27% across Italy. Siracusa province ranks 106th of 107 in Il Sole 24 Ore's quality of life ranking for 2025.
Health and schools
There is an emergency room in the comune. The nearest major one is in Catania, 61 km away. The nearest IB school is Gonzaga International School Palermo, 205 km as the crow flies.
Information, not medical advice. Confirm with a professional.
Taxes
A home that is not your main one pays 1.06% a year in property tax at the 2025 rate, charged on the cadastral value rather than the price. A main home pays none unless it is in a luxury category. The town adds 0.8% to your income tax. 7% pensioner tax: check before you count on it. The limit rose to 30,000 people in April 2026 and guidance is still to come. The regime is for someone with a foreign pension who has lived abroad for five years: 7% on foreign income, for ten years.
Information, not tax advice. Confirm with a professional.
What it costs
The average household in Sicily spends about €1,820 a month, €580 of it on food, against about €2,170 across Italy. A family of three pays about €524 a year for water, on the Sicily average. In Siracusa, the provincial capital, in September 2026, an espresso cost €1.18, a meal in a pizzeria €12.69 and a man's haircut €18.98.
Climate and risk
It is in climate zone C, on a scale from A, the warmest, to F, the coldest, and heating may run from November 15 to March 31, up to 10 hours a day, unless the mayor changes it. 2% of residents live in a zone the national maps rate high for floods, 2% in a high or medium one. Under 1% live in a zone rated high or very high for landslides.
These shares cover the whole comune, not any one street. Check an address on IdroGEO.
Moving from abroad? Which visa you need. Sources: ISTAT, the Ministry of Health, ISPRA, the Finance Ministry, the Ministry of Enterprise, Poste Italiane, the comuni, the IB, International Schools Database, Il Sole 24 Ore, Cittadinanzattiva.
Known for
BAROCCO DI NOTO
Capital of Sicilian Baroque and the showcase of the eight Late Baroque Towns of the Val di Noto inscribed by UNESCO in 2002.
INFIORATA
Annual flower festival since the early 1980s, covering Via Nicolaci in petal mosaics for three days every May around the third Sunday.
CATTEDRALE
San Nicolò at the top of its staircase, dome collapsed in 1996 from untreated 1990 earthquake damage and rebuilt for reopening in 2007.
PROTECTED PRODUCTS
The commune lies inside the Monti Iblei DOP, Ragusano DOP, Limone di Siracusa IGP and Pomodoro di Pachino IGP production zones.
Common questions
- What is Noto known for?
- Noto is the capital of Sicilian Baroque, rebuilt entirely in golden limestone after 1693.
- Where is Noto?
- Noto is a comune in the province of Siracusa, in Sicily, at 152 meters above sea level.
- What is the nearest airport to Noto?
- The nearest airport with scheduled flights is Catania (CTA), about 1 h 21 min by car.
- Can you get to Noto without a car?
- Yes. There is a railway station in the comune, so you can arrive by train.
- How long is the drive from Palermo to Noto?
- About 3 h 43 min by car.
- When is the best time to visit Noto?
- Best in Apr–Jun, Sep–Nov. July is the warmest month, averaging 33 degrees, and November the wettest, with about 9 rain days.
- Which other towns are like Noto?
- Ispica, Aci Castello and Modica.
- How many people live in Noto?
- 24,612 residents, by ISTAT's count on 1 January 2025.
- Is Noto a good place to live?
- By the rules in our Where to Move in Italy series, Noto is a small town that meets 2 of our 3 rules. The nearest city, Siracusa, is 40 min away by car. The nearest national health service hospital is in Avola, 6 km as the crow flies. Full fibre reaches 89% of homes.
Tags & data designations · numbers · sources
Recognized as
The numbers
- Elevation: 152 m
- Population: 24,612
- Surface area: 554.99 km²
These figures were compiled from public directories: ISTAT, OpenStreetMap and Wikidata, and from the official listings of the guides named on this page. Town details change; verify with official sources before you travel.
The ranked lists
Lists Noto appears in
- The 6 best hill towns with a serious restaurant in SicilySicilyhill townserious restaurant6 towns · smallest 7,926 residents
- The 6 best towns worth staying overnight that hold a World Heritage site in SicilySicilyworth staying overnightWorld Heritage6 towns · smallest 12,766 residents
- The best cheese towns within two hours of CataniaNear Cataniawithin 2 hourscheese zone6 towns · smallest 3,988 residents · closest 68 min away
- The 7 best towns you can reach by train that are worth a night in SicilySicilyby trainworth staying overnight7 towns · smallest 10,480 residents
- The best hill towns with a World Heritage site in SicilySicilyhill townWorld Heritage7 towns · smallest 7,980 residents
- The best hill towns within 90 minutes of SiracusaNear Siracusahill townwithin 90 min7 towns · smallest 2,235 residents · closest 39 min away
Featured on
Noto appears on this themed pick from our Collections:
Similar
Towns like Noto
What all six share with Noto: over 10,000 people · have a railway station in the comune
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