Netum Ingeniosa Urbs Numquam vi Capta ‘Noto, an ingenious town that has never been conquered violently’
These words were inscribed upon a slab of marble that was placed at the main entrance to the old town. The inscription attests that Noto, birthplace of many prominent scholars and philosophers, capitulated only to the terrible destructive force of the 1693 earthquake. In fact, Noto Antica (the old town) lay on the impregnable Mount Alveria, that was surrounded by deep canyons and connected to the Hyblaean plateau by a narrow isthmus. This place has been inhabited since the 18th century BC. Moreover, the long history of Noto Antica is shown by a rich variety of monuments representing a unicum in the historical, archaeological and artistic Sicily.
From the protohistoric Sikel tombs to the Greek remains, from the Christian and Jewish catacombs to the medieval castle and the 16th and 17th-century monuments, on this private walking tour you will travel through time.
