Baroque villages of Val di Noto

Leaving Taormina, you head south on the A18 then SS115: 88 km to Noto, about 1 h 35, with Mount Etna off your right and the Hyblaean limestone hills rolling to the left. Along the way, the local pietra di Noto tells a post-1693 earthquake story: twisted cornices, balconies on grotesque corbels, honey-colored monasteries. Noto, Scicli, and Modica form an UNESCO-listed baroque arc since 2002, where 18th‑century capomastri turned civic pride and noble patronage into theatrical façades.

Your driver pulls up at your Taormina hotel at the agreed time, Mercedes stocked with chilled water; the pace is yours. While they handle access and parking, you tour Noto’s Cattedrale di San Nicolò, taste “cold-processed” Modica chocolate, and stroll Scicli’s Via Mormino Penna. Flexible scheduling means unhurried stops, a light lunch by Palazzo Ducezio if you wish, and seamless hops between valleys and plateaus—so you keep visiting and tasting while the driving is taken care of.