South-eastern Sicily has long been a well-kept secret among travellers and it still feels like a hidden gem. This beautiful Baroque corner is one of the most enchanting places Italy has to offer and it's still relatively untrodden. While others fly into the capital of Palmero we flew into Catania on the Eastern coast of Sicily to discover all that this special spot has to offer with Laura and Paul from The Italian Experience on an organised tour of the Golden Baroque Triangle.
We flew into Catania with British Airways two days earlier than the start of the tour because of a strike but this meant we had time, on our own, to discover Catania and we are so glad we did.
We stayed at NH Catania Parco Degli Aragonesi and were able to catch the bus straight into the centre of Catania from right outside the hotel. The cost one euro!!!!!
There is a main plaza, Piazza Duomo or Elephant Square. It has a huge elephant sculpture in the middle and is surrounded by the beautiful church and gelaterias. Catania is built with beautiful local black volcanic stone, and near by white stone making the entire city beautiful.
There is a wonderful Roman Amphitheatre. Absolutely fantastic, hard to believe it could survive all the volcanic eruptions. Right in the centre of Catania - what a joy to see.
We then visited the Monastero dei Benedettini. This immense monastery with its beautiful cloisters was the largest Benedictine monastery in Italy and the second largest in the world. It is now being used as part of the University of Catania. Wandered in and was transfixed by the faded beauty of the place. What an amazing place to be a student.
We then found the monument to Vincenzo Bellini, the famous composer born in Catania.
After a relaxing lunch we strolled to Castello Ursino. It was originally a costal fortress guarding the city from a high vantage point. During the Etna eruption of 1669 the lava, after destroying much of the city, flowed around the castle moving the coastline to the east. The castle was left landlocked and removed of its strategic position. Today it houses the town museum.
The next day, after a leisurely morning by the pool with a view of Mount Etna, we returned to the airport to meet up with our tour group. We transferred to the Modica Beach Resort, the hotel had the feeling of a beautifully converted Victorian prison (apparently it's designed to look like a cruise boat) but the rooms were excellent and just across the road was a pool and private beach.
The next morning we met the lovely Francesca, who was to be our guide for the week, introducing us to beguiling Baroque towns, monumental architecture, acres of vineyards and orange groves and deserted sandy beaches. The beautiful architecture came as a result of the devastating 1693 earthquake that led to the rebuilding of the entire Val di Noto at once, in the late Baroque style. This move was described as 'the final flowering of Baroque art in Europe' and has left this part of Sicily as a stunning example of the period. It also has countless film location credits. We are following in the footsteps of the famous Sicilian TV detective Montalbano.
"Montalbano sugnu!" So the famous fictional Sicilian detective announces his presence as he calls at the homes of suspects, witnesses and friends.
The first town we visited was the sensational town of Modica. Like the other towns in the Val di Noto, it was badly damaged in the 1693 earthquake and was largely rebuilt in Sicilian baroque style. You are immersed in beauty and history at every turn - meaning you needn't "go in" anywhere. Surrounded on all sides by culture you can soak it all in while sitting in the sun with a gelato. It's perfect. Eminently photogenic, the location managers of the Montalbano series simply couldn't leave it out! Therefore, in certain episodes, we are treated to backdrops that include the magnificent Church of San Giorgio and the handsome façade of Palazzo Polara, amongst others. We were lucky enough to visit the lavish and beautiful St. Peter's Cathedral during a wedding service.
Modica is also home to a 400 year old tradition of Sicilian chocolate making. The chocolate in Modica is made with a very old recipe, none other than from the Aztecs. If you are wondering what the Aztecs have to do with Sicily, think about the Spanish conquistadors in South America and you will see that the same Spanish have dominated this island for a couple of centuries. The chocolate of Modica is processed in the same way the Aztecs did at the time of the Spanish conquistadors, technically can be defined as "cold" chocolate and it is grainy and crumbly. The aroma is that of roasted cocoa beans, with a slight trace of astringency. We enjoyed the tastings - some flavoured with cinnamon, vanilla, chilli, citrus fruits. Better pop over to the Cathedral again to redeem ourselves from the sin of gluttony.
Then back to the hotel for a lovely lunch and a few hours of leisure, enjoying the sun and swimming in the lovely warm sea before visiting Scicli (pronounced Sheek-ly)
Scicli has the natural advantage of its dramatic setting. The police station in "Vigata" where Montalbano plies his trade is actually the town hall of Scicli in the beautifully conserved baroque street of Via Mormino Penna. The mayor's real life office (the Stanza del Sindaco) is used in the series too, as the Questore's office. When things are getting particularly serious, Montalbano is summoned to meet his boss at the regional police HQ in the fictional town of "Montelusa". In reality, however, the HQ is conveniently located just a few steps down the road from the town hall, in Palazzo lacono. The town seemed to glow pink as the sun set and it was easy to find somewhere to eat. Most diners come out at around 9, so we had the pick of the tables in town and were on our gelato hunt by the time restaurants got busy.
After breakfast the next morning we set off to visit Castello di Donnafugata set in rolling countryside among rocks and giant carob trees. One of Montalbano's greatest nemeses was Mafia boss Balduccio Singagra, whose magnificently luxurious abode is actually Il Castello di Donnafugata, the 19th century home of Baron Corrado Arezzo de Spuches. One of my favourite Montalbano characters is Don Balduccio Singagra, head of one of the two local Mafia families, who's about 120 years old and wheezes, and who several times, through his sleazy lawyer Orazio Guttadauro, invites Montalbano to visit him to discourse about the old days when gangsters had honour and to try to make a deal, because he trusts Montalbano's word.
We continued our journey to Punta Secca. Inspector Montalbano is lucky enough to wake up every morning in his seafront house in "Marinella", which is, in reality, the small village of Punta Secca. His house is now a bed and breakfast. Across a cobbled courtyard is a villa with whitewashed walls and heavy green shutters, and two balconies jutting out over the beach. Behind the villa stands the Capo Scaramia lighthouse, built in 1859. Picture perfect - the green-and-white villa, the crabby commissario's house, is now a place of pilgrimage for fans.
We had a delicious lunch at Sand restaurant, the Inspector's favourite place. Delicious food with chilled white Sicilian wine whilst sitting on the very edge of the southern coast of Sicily, with only a strand of beach and the blue Mediterranean between us and the coast of Africa. If it felt like something out of a work of fiction, that's because it was. Sort of. I had to go in for a swim just like Montalbano too.
The next day we set off for Noto. Noto is an architectural supermodel, a baroque belle so gorgeous you might mistake it for a film set. The limestone capital of Sicilian Baroque architecture. The Cathedral of San Nicolo di Mira, known as the Noto Cathedral is impressive. The wide stairs leading up to the cathedral are stunning, shining under the bright Sicilian sun and adding further grandiose. There is such a concentration of Baroque buildings in Noto, it is almost a little bit overwhelming. Via Nicolaci is home to some of the most amazing and unique balconies like the Palazzo Villadorata with its interesting and curious buttressed balconies.
We had a delicious lunch in the centre of this historic town just across from the most impressive Palazzo in town. Simple food served with great wine made by them, afterwards we visited the small museum upstairs.
We then boarded our bus to the Vendicari Nature Reserve. A peaceful oasis with paths among reed beds and beaches, hides for watching wading birds, and an old tuna fishery building that looked like a Greek ruin.
The following morning we set off for Ragusa Ibla. Nothing quite prepares you for the first view of Ragusa Ibla as you round a bend on the road from Modica (whose impressive Ponte Guerreri viaduct features in the opening credits of Montalbano). It looks as if a team of masons had carved the place out of a whole hill, like the world's biggest sandcastle. A spectacular perched town and a treasure chest of beautiful late Baroque architecture, lovely gardens, cobblestone narrow streets, and spectacular palazzos with typical balconies adorned with somewhat naïve sculptures. Bellissima.
Many of the "Vigata" scenes are filmed in and around Ragusa Ibla's gorgeous Piazza Duomo, which is overlooked by the impressive Cathedral of San Giorgio, built in 1738. Montalbano, whose passion for detective work is equalled only by his love of good food, is a regular lunchtime client here. Another building that has featured in the series is the powder blue neoclassical Circolo di Conversazione, once the meeting place for the town's aristocrats.
The next day we were sad to say goodbye to the Modica Marina hotel with its gorgeous beach and Pablo our excellent, careful driver. It was on to historical Ortigia and the Hotel Roma. A charming building so close to the Duomo Cathedral. Lunch at the hotel was superb. The hotel has tables and chairs outside and it was lovely to sit there sipping a drink and watching the world go by in this beautiful historic piazza. Ortigia is a beautiful harbour town on an island linked to the mainland by a peninsula on the east coast. There is a beautiful Baroque square and charming stone alleyways lined with cute shops and restaurants.
The next day we were booked on a boat trip around the island, we then wandered the pretty streets of the town to the fabulous outdoor food market.( It was here that we had to say a sad farewell to Francesca, our excellent guide. Arrivederci. ) Here, tables are piled high with the ripest tomatoes and peaches, fresh swordfish and baby octopus and you can watch Sicilian vendors do what they do best: shout, and gesticulate with big carving knives! We wandered through the outdoor market enticed by the offerings of colourful cheeses, fruit and veg....not so much by the plentiful selection of raw fish. At the very end on the corner we found this quite sophisticated deli with outdoor tables. The covered area of slatted wood tables and chairs across from the deli provided a bit of shade and space from the food stalls. Clive chose the tasting plate of fish. Beautifully presented various bits served in small ramekins on a long oval wooden board. There was also a glass filled with delicious sweetened ricotta and a tiny cannolo as a dessert. Rosie enjoyed a Caprese salad whilst Phil and I had tuna and swordfish sandwiches and, of course, lovely chilled white wine.
And so to our farewell dinner at the top of the Grand Hotel, Ortigia. La Terrazza sul Mare. The small but luxury glass lift took us to a lovely location with a balcony where we all enjoyed a glass of bubbly overlooking the bay of Ortigia. Followed by a delicious meal.
And so we all said our goodbyes. It was a lovely, friendly group. Paul and Laura, our hosts, were excellent, so very helpful. Thank you for organising such a fabulous holiday for us.
And, finally, thank you once again for your company Clive and Rosie. It made the holiday extra special.
