ESSENCE OF SICILY

Soak up the sights and scents of southern Sicily on this full-day excursion from Ragusa. You will explore two of Sicily’s most famous Baroque towns and discover the island’s “essence” on a tour of a renowned herb farm.

In the morning your private guide and chauffeur will meet you at your accommodation and drive you to Modica. The town’s current charm, expression of the creative genius of the late Baroque era, is the result of an 18th century reconstruction following a devastating earthquake that struck southern Sicily in 1693. Magnificent churches and finely decorated buildings will strike you as you make your way along winding alleys, up and down stairways, through the two neighbourhoods of Upper and Lower Modica. The Conti Castle surveys the town from the summit of a rocky outcrop but the centrepiece is undoubtedly the Cathedral of St. George standing at the top of a steep flight of steps, with its graceful facade rising into a curved bell tower. Also worthy of a visit are the Church of St. Mary of Bethlehem, housing the Late Gothic Cabrera chapel, a miraculous survivor of the earthquake, and the Cathedral of St. Peter, dominating the main street of Corso Umberto, with the statues of the twelve apostles greeting onlookers from the ramp.

Despite these architectural landmarks Modica’s most extraordinary feat may well be its much praised gastronomic achievements. The town jealously safeguards a four-hundred-year-old tradition of chocolate making, attracting gourmands from far and wide. As part of the Spanish kingdom, Sicily was one of the first lucky recipients of the new exotic spices brought back from South America, including cocoa. Modica still specialises in the creation of rich, dark, crumbly chocolate flavoured with cinnamon and vanilla, inspired by ancient recipes retrieved from the Aztecs. Don’t forget to pay a visit to the Antica Dolceria Bonajuto, a confectionery shop that has been delighting the palates of Sicilians with its chocolate temptations since 1880.

A 25-minute drive will then bring you to a herb farm. Here, in this splendid natural setting, guests will relish Sicily’s authentic aromas while taking in views that stretch all the way to the cobalt-blue Mediterranean Sea. The estate has been successfully run for twenty years by a dedicated, hard-working family, driven by the ambition to keep alive the island’s traditional fragrances and flavours. Over 150 different varieties of medicinal, ornamental and culinary plants, including capers, sage, thyme, lavender, mint, santolina, helichrysum and rosemary, are lovingly and carefully cultivated in the garden and, as the owners set themselves new challenges, these will soon be joined by tropical plants and endemic Sicilian herbs which are today threatened with extinction.

A member of staff will greet you and lead you on an entertaining and informative visit to the farm’s scented pathways. Later, under a passion flower pergola, feast your senses on a delicious light lunch made with fresh ingredients and seasoned with the farm’s aromatic herbs.

In the early afternoon rejoin your guide and driver and set off for Noto. Razed to the ground by the calamitous 17th century seism, Noto too was completely rebuilt in Sicilian Baroque tradition. Sumptuous and swanky, Noto is a superb incarnation of Baroque planning and building principles and stands as an enduring reminder of man’s boundless inventiveness, prolific fantasy and heroic resilience in the face of the overwhelming forces of nature. Divided by parallel roads, oriented from the east to the west so as always to be irradiated by the sun’s rays, Noto’s historic centre is almost entirely built in limestone, a material that seemingly absorbs the golden beams reflecting a soft honey-hued glow.

We owe the city’s present appearance to the artistic inspiration of three visionary architects, Rosario Gagliardi, Vincenzo Sinatra and Paolo Labisi, who were entrusted with the task of designing a city that would mirror the Baroque ideals of astonishment and virtuosity. The result is a true urban masterpiece replete with eye-popping details: finely carved floral motifs embellish the facades of noble residences, masks peer down from corbels, chubby cherubs frolic along church walls, winged horses flutter beneath wrought iron balconies, fierce lions guard historic stone buildings. A Baroque safari is in full swing! Your guide will lead you on an unforgettable expedition through Noto’s sculpted jungle and make sure you do not miss its highlights: the Cathedral of San Nicolò, sitting proudly atop a monumental flight of steps, the Church of Santa Chiara with its elaborate stuccos and the richly ornamented balconies of Palazzo Nicolaci, an unequalled triumph of Baroque art in Noto.

In the afternoon your private chauffeur will drive you back to your accommodation in Ragusa.