Sicily · Siracusa
Sortino
The eastern gateway to UNESCO Pantalica in the Iblei, Sicily's city of honey and home of the stuffed Sortino pizzolo.
Picked by Peter Benei
Letter to come
Why Sortino is on our list
It holds UNESCO and Città del Miele.
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Visiting
- Best time
- Apr–Jun, Sep–Nov
- By car
- 51 min from Catania
- Population
- 8,044
- J13°
- F15°
- M15°
- A18°
- M24°
- J30°
- J33°
- A33°
- S28°
- O23°
- N18°
- D15°
- Best
- Hot or crowded
- Quiet
- Mostly closed
Daytime air temperature, averages for 2020–2024. Weather data by Open-Meteo.com.
Why come
Sortino sits on the eastern Iblei, the other side of the Pantalica plateau from Ferla, sixteen kilometers from the Anapo gorge that holds the necropolis. The 1693 Val di Noto earthquake destroyed the medieval town on a different site; Peter Gaetani moved the rebuild to the current ridge and gave it the baroque grid still visible in the centro storico. The Necropoli di Pantalica, some five thousand rock-cut chamber tombs from the thirteenth to the seventh centuries BC, sits between the two communes and joined the UNESCO inscription with Syracuse in 2005.
Sortino is a Città del Miele, with a beekeeping tradition reaching back to the Hyblaean honey praised by Virgil, and its thyme honey belongs to the Slow Food presidium for Iblei thyme honey. The town's other signature is pizzolo, a 20-centimeter stuffed flatbread topped with olive oil, oregano and parmesan, born in Sortino's farming kitchens and now found across the province.
How to get there
From Catania (CTA), about 49 min by car.
By car from the center of Palermo 3 h 11 min.
Coming by train into Siracusa? Sortino is about 38 min away by road.
Every town within reach of Catania airport.
First time driving in Italy? Read our complete manual.
What to see
Necropoli di Pantalica
Some 5,000 rock-cut chamber tombs from the thirteenth to seventh centuries BC on the limestone plateau between Sortino and Ferla; UNESCO since 2005.
Chiesa Madre (San Giovanni Evangelista)
Eighteenth-century baroque mother church, rebuilt after the 1693 earthquake on the relocated ridge town under Peter Gaetani.
Convento di San Francesco
Baroque convent complex with a richly decorated interior, part of the post-1693 rebuild commissioned by Peter Gaetani during the relocation of the town.
Valle dell'Anapo
Limestone gorge between Sortino and Ferla with the Anapo river, an abandoned railway converted into walking trail, and access to the Pantalica plateau.
Living here
Could you live here?
Sortino meets both of our rules for a small town.
- 8,044 people, inside our sweet spot of 5,000 to 20,000: a real town, still one community.
- Siracusa, a city of 115,776, is 52 min by car. Inside our 30 to 60 minutes: close for the services, far enough to keep its own life.
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 8,044, down 8.2% since 2015
- Nearest city Siracusa, 52 min drive
- Nearest national health service hospital Augusta, 16 km as the crow flies · how healthcare works in Italy
- Homes in the center: €560 to €810 per m² to buy, €2.20 to €3.20 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 99% of homes
- Primary school in the comune
- Earthquake zone 1, Italy's highest hazard
- Catania airport (CTA), 49 min drive, the nearest with scheduled flights
- Regional capital Palermo, 3 h 11 min drive
If you are moving here
Who lives here
Under 1% of residents are foreign citizens, most often from Romania, Sri Lanka and Nigeria, against 9% across Italy. There are 251 people over 65 for every 100 children under 15, against 216 across Italy. 39% 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
The nearest emergency room is in Augusta, 16 km as the crow flies. The nearest major one is in Catania, 32 km away. The nearest children's emergency room is in Catania, 32 km away. The nearest IB school is Gonzaga International School Palermo, 183 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, with nothing due on income under €10,000. 7% pensioner tax: this town qualifies, 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. The national maps show no residents in a high or medium flood zone. 2% 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
PANTALICA
Eastern gateway to the UNESCO necropolis, some 5,000 rock-cut tombs on the limestone plateau between Sortino and Ferla.
MIELE IBLEO
Città del Miele with a beekeeping tradition as old as Virgil's Hyblaean honey; local thyme honey belongs to a Slow Food presidium, alongside orange-blossom and wildflower honeys.
PIZZOLO
Sortino's stuffed flatbread, 20 cm round with olive oil, oregano, pepper, parmesan and salt; born here and now baked in pizzolerie across the province.
PROTECTED PRODUCTS
The commune lies inside the Monti Iblei DOP and Limone di Siracusa IGP production zones.
Common questions
- What is Sortino known for?
- Sortino is the eastern gateway to UNESCO Pantalica at 438 meters in the Iblei, Sicily's city of honey and home of the stuffed Sortino pizzolo.
- Where is Sortino?
- Sortino is a comune in the province of Siracusa, in Sicily.
- What is the nearest airport to Sortino?
- The nearest airport with scheduled flights is Catania (CTA), about 49 min by car.
- How long is the drive from Palermo to Sortino?
- About 3 h 11 min by car.
- When is the best time to visit Sortino?
- Best in Apr–Jun, Sep–Nov. July is the warmest month, averaging 33 degrees, and September the wettest, with about 11 rain days.
- Which other towns are like Sortino?
- Castelbuono, Salemi and Sambuca di Sicilia.
- How many people live in Sortino?
- 8,044 residents, by ISTAT's count on 1 January 2025.
- Is Sortino a good place to live?
- By the rules in our Where to Move in Italy series, Sortino is a small town that meets both of our rules. The nearest city, Siracusa, is 52 min away by car. The nearest national health service hospital is in Augusta, 16 km as the crow flies. Full fibre reaches 99% of homes.
Tags & data designations · numbers · sources
Recognized as
Landscape
The numbers
- Elevation: 438 m
- Population: 8,044
- Surface area: 93.33 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 Sortino appears in
- 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
- The best hill towns within 90 minutes of CataniaNear Cataniahill townwithin 90 min9 towns · smallest 1,078 residents · closest 45 min away
Featured on
Sortino appears on this themed pick from our Collections:
Similar
Towns like Sortino
What all six share with Sortino: between 3,000 and 10,000 people
Castelbuono
Province: Palermo
both inland in Sicily · both hill towns
Salemi
Province: Trapani
both inland in Sicily · both hill towns
Sambuca di Sicilia
Province: Agrigento
both inland in Sicily · both hill towns
Calascibetta
Province: Enna
both inland in Sicily
Minervino Murge
Province: Barletta-Andria-Trani
both hill towns
Tirano
Province: Sondrio
both hill towns
The letter
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