Ragusa

Tours

This experience includes a visit to the Baroque cities. The tour lasts 8 hours and includes *transport only*, you will have 1 hour plus to visit each city. You will meet your driver in Syracuse and begin the tour with a visit to the beautiful Baroque town of Noto. At the end of the visit, amidst breathtaking landscapes of large canyons, steep cliffs and wooded areas of olive and carob trees you will continue on to Ragusa Ibla where you will have free time to visit this beautiful town. As a last stop you will go to Modica where you can discover the chocolate workshops and do some shopping.

The first stop on this 8-hour tour is Noto, the Garden of Stone, noted for its Baroque heritage. After the massive 1693 earthquake, Noto was rebuilt on Meti Hill. The town’s origins date to the Early Bronze Age. Continue to Modica and visit the oldest chocolate factory in Sicily. The city also has a rich history and a wonderful architectural heritage. See the cathedrals of San Giorgio and San Pietro and the Palazzo Polara and Palazzo Napolino-Tommasi Rosso, among others. Ragusa was added to the UNESCO World Heritage in 2002 for its monuments of the late Baroque period. Visit examples of this style including its cathedrals and palaces.

The Sicilian baroque is an icon in the area known as Val di Noto. After the devastating earthquake of 1693, these places were rebuilt with this style of decorations. Discover the rich of ghostly masks and elaborate stone carvings. First discover Noto, the capital of Sicilian baroque. Walk among the wonderful buildings of the Garden of Stone and admire the elegance and sinuosity of the architectural elements. The itinerary continues towards Modica, a city of ancient origins and with an excellent culinary tradition. Taste the different varieties of Modica chocolate, famous and known throughout the world. Ragusa Ibla completes the full immersion in the Baroque with its characteristic alleys, opulent buildings and Iblei gardens.

Experience Southeast Italy through the perspective of the popular Italian television series Inspector Montalbano. This tour visits the places of Inspector Montalbano, the series main character, in Punta Secca, Ragusa, and Scicli. Meet your guide in Catania and head to the quaint villa of Punta Secca. Visit the inspector's seafront house, Marinella. Continue on to Ragusa to explore the many alleyways of its historic center. Take note as you walk through the backdrop of many scenes in the series. Afterward, go to the town of Scicli. As you wander through its historic center admire the many Baroque buildings and churches featured in the series, including the town hall, which served as the location of the Vigata police station.

we will leave from Syracuse (preferably in the morning) with the first stop in Noto, nestled among the rolling hills of Sicily, characterized by its sumptuous baroque palaces and imposing churches, living testimonies of the art and architecture of the period, we will then go to Modica, which with its intricate alleys and majestic churches, enchants visitors with the opulence and grace of the Baroque, expressed through ornate facades and refined decorative details (it will also be possible to visit the Modica Chocolate laboratory and there will also be a stop for free lunch), finally we will go to Ragusa Ibla to the Iblei gardens, overlooking a breathtaking panorama, capturing attention with its baroque buildings that climb along the slopes creating a suggestive mosaic of architectural elegance and history, the journey it will end in a place of your choice in Syracuse, the trip will end at a location of your choice in Syracuse where we will go to the splendid island of Ortigia where we will admire the Cathedral (temple of Athena), the Aretusa fountain, the Maniace castle and the temple of Apollo

Benefit from pick-up in Catania or Taormina, and then journey by air-conditioned vehicle on a locations tour of the TV series "Inspector Montalbano" in southeast Sicily. Discover the real locations of imaginary sites such as Mànnara, the town of Vigata where the TV drama was set and the small fishing village of Punta Secca where Montalbano lived in fictional Marinella. Get the chance to enjoy lunch at the Da Enzo a Mare restaurant, where many scenes from the series, adapted from the novels by Andrea Camilleri, were shot.

Start your day of adventure in Ragusa Ibla. Stroll through this quaint, leisurely destination and start your outing with coffee or Campari at a cafe at the foot of the Duomo, one of the finest buildings in Sicily. Walk down the slightly sloping piazza and onto the main winding street that guides you to Giardino Ibleo. On the way, enjoy a short stop to admire the work of Gagliaridi - the small but elegant church of San Giuseppe. The Giardino Ibleo is a haven of peace and quiet with an exquisite view of the valley below and beyond. Venture outside the entrance to the garden and the remains of the gothic Portale San Giorgio, an early 13th century piece of architecture that was demolished by an earthquake in 1693. Visit Modica Bassa, the historic city centre and its famous main street, Corso Umberto. Admire this street lined with baroque churches and monasteries. See expensive brand-name shops and fine cafes that intermingle amongst historic churches. Find out why the city is famous for its chocolate shops and visit Antica Dolceria Bonajuto, a well known chocolate factory. Wander the streets and visit iconic landmarks like the unfinished church of San Matteo, Palazzo Benventano, the church of Santa Maria la Nova, and Chiarafura Cave Dwellings.

Enjoy typical homemade sicilian meal in the beautiful countryside, surrounded by olive trees and unspoiled nature! We’ll eat outdoor under a big olive tree, otherwise indoor in our stone house if weather won’t allow. You will discover the real taste of genuine food, because we don’t use industrial ingredients! We will begin our experience with a walk in the garden to collect the fresh ingredients that we will use in the kitchen: tomatoes, basil, onions, etc. In winter, weather permitting, we will instead go in search of wild vegetables. Back home we will cook our lunch together, inspired by the recipe books of Sicilian grandmothers: first courses with fresh pasta, second courses with meat such as rolls or meatballs, vegetarian dishes such as caponata or "i pipi ca muddica", but also "scacce", arancini, panelle , and then cannoli and cassatelle. At the end we will all have lunch together and have time to have pleasant conversations. In good weather we will have lunch on the terrace or in our garden, in winter in the kitchen in front of the wood stove. The whole experience will take place in a family and relaxed atmosphere, immersed in the greenery and silence of the Chiaramonte Gulfi countryside. During lunch you can taste "Nero d'Avola" red wine (or fresh "Insolia" white wine in summertime) from a prestigious local winery near home. A vegetarian and gluten free menu is available. Please let us know in advance about any dietary restrictions Other things to note If the weather will be too bad (sometime it happens also in Sicily!) probably we won’t be able to take a walk, but we’ll still have lunch with our products and we will spend more time in the kitchen.

Today h 8.30am be ready at pick up location to meet our driver and departure from Siracusa in direction of Ragusa Ibla. Our Team will offer you time at disposal to keep the feeling with this section of the town giving you direction to explore independently the old part of the city and an undisputed reality of Baroque art. Here you can admire numerous eighteenth-century churches and buildings and the Gardens. Soon after, you will discover another jewel of the Sicilian Gastronomy: the local Chocolate in Modica. This particular chocolate is made with a very old recipe, the one coming 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. We then continue to Noto. In the Arab period the town was the capital of one of the three districts of Sicily (the Val di Noto) and once defeated by the Christians, Noto became a rich Norman city. Unfortunately, it was totally destroyed by the 1693 Sicilian earthquake and rebuilt in a new position nearer to the Ionian Sea. But the new Noto is a masterpiece of Sicilian Baroque! Most of the buildings, including churches and noble palaces, follow one another along the main street and are characterized by the honey tonality of tufa stone. Later we return to Siracusa (estimated arrival time h 4pm ish depending on the traffic situation) Please note that if the tour does not reach at least two partecipants it will not be operated.

You can't visit Italy without trying at least one pasta dish... So, we'll teach you two! Learn how to roll 'sfoglia' (fresh pasta) by hand and how to prepare 2 simple different kinds of pasta from scratch with your Cesarina. As the icing on the cake you will learn to prepare also the iconic Tiramisu. Share your passion for the Italian cuisine as you make new friends in this hands-on cooking class. It's a great way to truly experience Italian culture. Cesarine is Italy’s oldest network of home cooks all over the country. They are welcoming hosts that open the doors of their own homes to curious travellers for immersive culinary experiences.