To travel south east from the capital Palermo during the Sicilian spring in mid -May and head for Noto in time for Sicily’s unrivalled flower festival - L’infiorata which runs every 3rd weekend in May makes for a great few days. The festival celebrates spring and welcomes the coming Sicilian summer.
Noto, a 17th century Sicilian baroque town is a stage set with baroque churches and palazzi of golden stone, balconies festooned with mythical figures, cherubs and griffins. The main street, Corso Vittorio Emanuele is made for a passeggiata and the crescendo and decrescendo of side streets, secret shadowed courtyards and a bejewelled opera house which is discovered by entering through a simple classical portico make for sheer discovery.
One of these ascending side streets, Via Nicolaci was covered for this year’s flower festival in a mosaic of coloured petals depicting intricate scenes from Japanese history and life.
Local and foreign artists work for two and a half days laying petals, legumes, nuts and rich volcanic soil. They begin on the Friday evening and work in the cool of the Sicilian spring night to protect the petals. Visitors can wander up the cordoned footpaths and watch it unfold.
For a great view of the finished floral mosaics head into Palazzo Nicolaci and step onto a balcony of billowing iron and look down. Then look out to the distant view of the sea.
Wander the lit streets as night falls and discover food markets selling local produce by small independent Sicilian businesses set in the open Antico Mercato on Via Rocco Pirri. For this year's festival the market was roofed with dozens of colourful Japanese paper umbrellas.
To stay at Seven Rooms Villadorata when in Noto is to be ushered into a world of Sicilian warmth and modernity that sits well in the 17th century Palazzo Nicolaci. It is a small elegant Sicilian guesthouse where the owner Cristina welcomes her guests with friendliness and a love of her town. The view of the food market from a small jasmine clad terrazzo on the first floor is magical. Cristina serves breakfast on a large terrace with views to the sea or in the library.
Caffe Sicilia on the main corso is a great spot to try peach & basil granita. All pastries, ice creams and granitas are made at the cafe and the chef, Corrado Assenza makes sure they are perfection. Caffe Sicilia is only 50 meters from Seven Rooms Villadorata and makes a great spot to take an aperitivo and watch the people of Noto enjoy their evening stroll.
Like the Sicilians do, drink a good beer with your simple pizza. The restaurant and pizzeria, I Sapori Del Val Di Noto in Via Ronco B.Leanti (an intriguing alley off Via Nicolaci) serves great pizza and beer. One beer which stood out in particular was a Sicilian boutique beer brewed by Rocca dei Conti in Modica, Sicily by two ex- homebrewers. Their pale ale, Tari Oro is light and refreshing.
Walk and wander.
Salve,
Suzanne.
