The final leg of our trip was through the Baroque towns of southeastern Sicily, namely Noto, Modica, and Ragusa, although we also stopped in Caltagirone and Scicli. All of these towns were partially or fully destroyed in the earthquake of 1693, which provided an opportunity for architects to rebuild in the fantastic Baroque style. Yellowed golden walls and detailed flourishes abounded, especially in Noto, probably the most popular of the Baroque towns. We stopped in Noto first, where I recreated that famous scene from White Lotus with Aubrey Plaza.
We made our base in Modica, scaling the cliffside town for dinner and great views. This is where we made our base. We took a day trip to Ragusa, with the new and old towns perched across from each other on separate mountains (we walked from one to the other).
On our last day, we drove quite far to Villa Romana del Casale, one of the most luxurious Roman villas and with the finest mosaics of the Roman world. It really was spectacular. Every room was covered in mosaics – there were too many to keep track of! Entire scenes and stories played out in front of us, often themed for the room (welcoming guests, baths, kitchens, bedrooms, worship). It was so worth the long day’s drive, which we ended with a dinner in Scicli. (By the way, we absolutely loved Scicli and wish we had actually stayed there instead of Modica).
This was a wrap for Sicily. We can’t wait to go back one day to do the western side of the island!
