Noto Antica (ruins of old Noto)
On the flat summit of Monte Alveria, about eight kilometres from the baroque city that replaced it, the old Noto sits in silence. The earthquake of 11 January 1693 ended this place in a single night, and almost nothing has been touched since — which means the ruins hold a peculiar completeness, layer upon layer: Sicel tombs cut into rock, Greek traces, Jewish catacombs with menorahs scored into the stone, a medieval castle, and the crumbled shells of seventeenth-century churches.
The site is free, always open, and reached only by car along the SS287. What you find at the end of the road is not a managed archaeological park but a wide, overgrown plateau where the old city's heart-shaped outline is still legible if you know to look for it.
💛 What travellers fall for
People who come back tend to say the same thing: bring more water than you think you need and wear shoes with grip. The two-hour trail through the ruins is unmarked, and a local guide makes the difference between walking past a rock and understanding that it is the surviving wall of a Norman castle built in 1091 by Giordano, son of Roger of Altavilla.
The story behind Noto Antica (ruins of old Noto)
The settlement on Monte Alveria reaches back to around 800 BC, and ancient sources name it Netum — a Sicel city, possibly associated with the leader Ducetius around the fifth century BC. Rome granted it to Hiero II in 263 BC. In 866 the Arabs took it and made it the administrative centre of the Val di Noto. In 1091 it became the last Muslim stronghold in Sicily to fall to the Normans, and Duke Giordano, son of Roger of Altavilla, raised the Castello Reale on the summit that same year.
For six more centuries the city accumulated: the castle was expanded under Duke Peter of Aragon in 1430, modernised in 1545, armed with guns during the Franco-Spanish war of 1675. Then the earthquake of January 1693 — one of the most destructive in European recorded history — destroyed Noto Antica entirely. The survivors chose not to rebuild on the ruins but to start again on level ground ten kilometres away, producing the baroque city now on the UNESCO list. The old site was simply left.
Good to know
Drive from Noto on the SS287 toward San Corrado di Fuori — free parking at the entrance. No ticket, no opening hours to worry about. Budget two hours on foot. Guided tours are worth arranging in advance; without one, the site's stratigraphy is easy to miss entirely.
Spring and autumn are the easiest seasons to walk the exposed plateau — summer temperatures on the limestone hillside climb quickly and there is almost no shade. After winter rain the ground can be slippery in places.
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What travellers say about Noto Antica (ruins of old Noto)
TAKE ALL BELONGINGS WITH YOU! Thieves broke the car window and grabbed our bags while we walked around the structure. It was a small white car and they were sitting in the car with the engine running. Later we noticed glass from other break-ins.
Atmospheric, very special place. One can still feel the tragedy of what happened here. Remains of houses, churches and the city wall are still well visible and give a glimpse of an impression of how this place once looked like. I highly recommended the walk down to the small creek in the northern gorge. There are many remains of old man-made caves and nature thrives here.
No tickets necessary. Very old ruined that you can visit but only a limited number of still standing remnants. Very beautiful view and a constant feeling of "how could have Noto looked like 600 years ago"
We visited many historical sites in the area and this was my personal favourite. The atmosphere and countryside really makes a lasting impression. I loved how there was so much in the undergrowth just abandoned. The castle and Palace were the highlights but we could have spent at least a day exploring as there is so much to see.
10. 9. 2021 Noto Antica (delayed review) - ancient ruins not only of the castle, graves carved in the rock, caves, lakes, beautiful nature. We went through the whole place in about 5 hours. Right at the entrance, some disgusting visitors made a toilet out of the first tomba. Shame! But otherwise the whole area is vast, full of greenery and mysterious places. I recommend a visit. Food, drink to take with you. More youtube travel video PSIS-visit. Iva + Petr Prague CZE
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