The Villa Romana del Tellaro Noto Antica Eloro The Sanctuaries Castelluccio Vendicari
From the town centre of Noto we proceed towards the countryside
directed to "San Corrado fuori le mura" and at about 3 km you
can see mount Alveria and the powerful walls of Noto Antica.
The first human settlement goes back to the culture of
Castelluccio, that is in the Age of Ancient Bronze
(XVII - XV century b.C.). From the little street, before to
arrive to the bridge on the Salitello stream, you can see
the sicilian necropolis which belongs to the Fourth Period
(730 - 650 b.C.) according Bernabò Brea. This period
is called the Finocchito period, characterized by rock excaved
graves with a sort of little stone pillow for a ritual
of laying down one body per grave or a maximum of three bodies.
Also on the right part of the mountain, you can visit the cave "Grotta
del Carciofo", a jewish catacomb with a seven-arms chandelier, and
the large cave "Grotta dalle Cento Bocche" a bizantine catacomb.
Passing the Entrance Gate, to the left we have the Army Room and mews,
and to the right we have the Castle and the "Torre Maestra" tower built
in 1431 by Duke of Noto Pietro D'Aragona, liege lord of the Town and
brother of King Alfonso V Magnanimo. Under the Castle you can visit
a bizantine-christian catacomb with archs, excaved into the stone
(VI - VII century); after that we have a greek grave dug under the
Castle. At the top of the way up you can see the Carosello valley,
where the Asinaro stream arises and under the mountain there are
tanneries dug by Arabians. Along the street, to the left we have the
S. Martino hospital, most known like the S. Maria of Loreto hospital,
linked to a building dug into the rock, maybe an Oratory. Just keep
walking and you get to the Palace of Belludia Barons (on the left)
and the remainings of the Church and the Collegiate built by
Don Carlo Giavanti Baron of Buxello, a philantropist.
A nice walk brings to Piazza Maggiore, the main square in the Sixteenth
Century, with fountains and the Laocoonte statue, made by Don Giovanni
Manuella, a local architect which also designed the silver urn of
S. Corrado. From the main square we turn to the left and next again to the
left, keep walking for about 270 meters, we arrive at the Gymnasium where
young people exercised in sporting activities: the building was partly
dug into the rock and partly built with bricks. It was dedicated to
the King of Syracuse Ierone II and it was found by the dutch Georg Kaibel;
brought by the Noto Administration in 1984 it is exposed in the
Civic Museum. The visitor can see to the left, the remaing part
of the wall found by the local archeologist Vincenzo La Rosa in 1972.
In the south-weastern area of the mountain, you can visit the Heroa,
which was dedicated to the religion for Domestic Heroes. It is
pointed out by the cubbies and the "pirakes", marble tablets studied
by prof. Gioacchino Santocono Russo.
Coming back to the main square, you can walk along till the Eremo of
S. Maria della Provvidenza (1723) from which you can see the valley
of Durbo. Finally, the small Church, nice and with a single nave.
realizzato da Antonino Parisi