Syracuse, Noto and Baroque: a motorhome tour

Ortigia, Noto, Modica and Ragusa Ibla

Ortigia is an island within an island — the historic centre of Syracuse, surrounded by the sea, with the cathedral built on top of a Greek temple, the fish markets in the morning and the taverns in the evening. An hour’s drive away, Noto is the most beautiful Baroque town in the world: honey-coloured palaces built after the 1693 earthquake, now a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Modica with its traditional chocolate, Ragusa Ibla perched on the cliff, the Vendicari Nature Reserve with its pink flamingos — this corner of Sicily is unhurried, authentic and far removed from mass tourism.