Excursions

Between Portopalo and Syracuse

6 Km. From the hotel is Pachino, the birthplace of Vitaliano Brancati. Today the center is well known for the production of cherry tomatoes. However, the traditional cultivation of the place has always been that of the vine that produces grapes from which very fine wines are obtained. For many years our fortified wines have also been exported to France to be blended with the light wines of the area.
To visit the Piazza Vittorio Emanuele, the heart of the city, the Market and the Mother Church.

At 8 Km. From the hotel, along the sea, you reach the hamlet of Marzamemi, a characteristic fishing village where you can visit the "balata", the ancient tonnara and the square where the 18th century church, the Palazzo of Villadorata and the characteristic fishermen's houses. Today Marzamemi is a very crowded tourist center in the summer.

From Pachino, continuing towards Noto, you will reach the Vendicari Natural Oasis (15 km from the hotel). Here you can take a guided tour of the reserve.

A few kilometers further on is the Villa Romana del Tellaro. These are the remains of a Roman villa from the 4th century AD, the home of a family of landowners, whose floors were covered with extraordinary mosaics which, for their refinement of style, are among the most significant of the time and can well compete with those, well known, of Piazza Armerina, near Enna.

Continuing on, you reach Noto (25 km from the hotel), the capital of the Baroque, a realized utopia, a city planned and built like a work of art, an emblem steeped in the symbols of eighteenth-century civilization. In 2002 the city was declared a World Heritage Site by Unesco together with Palazzolo Acreide, Scicli, Modica and Ragusa.
A few kilometers away you can visit Noto Antica: the old city destroyed by the earthquake of 1693.

At 6 km from Noto you reach Avola, a center which gives its name to Nero d'Avola, the vine from which the finest Sicilian wines are obtained. The pizzuta almond is well known and exported all over the world.
In the city the predominant architectural style is the Liberty. The floral style is also used, treated by skilled stonemasons who, with great creative ability, have transformed the facades of the houses into real stone decorations.

In the mountainous area behind Avola, Cava Grande is the most spectacular place. At the bottom of the quarry flows the Cassibile river which creates crystal clear lakes along its path, a constant destination for hikers who, to reach them, venture along a tortuous and steep path.

A forty-five minute drive from the hotel is Syracuse, one of the most beautiful cities in the Mediterranean, rich in history and monuments that has seen, in over three thousand years, important expressions of the major civilizations.

Montana area

The mountainous area of ​​the province of Syracuse is a place of extraordinary interest from an archaeological, cultural and landscape point of view: Palazzolo Acreide (Unesco Heritage) is rich in Baroque monuments surrounded by ancient neighborhoods built on steep slopes that offer glimpses of splendid views. To visit, among others, the Greek Theater which in a panoramic position dominates the Anapo valley.

Proceeding you will come across Buscemi, a rare example of a village-museum with a presence of beautiful Baroque architecture. Buccheri, which retains medieval traces, is embellished with eighteenth-century churches and buildings. It is an ideal place for excursions in an environment that is still perfectly intact.

From Cassaro you can reach the Necropolis of Pantalica which, perched along the walls of the deep quarry of the splendid Anapo valley, is the largest necropolis in the Mediterranean basin: over 5000 tombs with artificial caves, dug into deep rocky ridges make it similar to a honeycomb of bees. The Anapo Valley is a place of rare beauty (today a state-owned area of ​​naturalistic interest) which includes a part of the Necropolis of Pantalica.
For visits, a free service is used that transports visitors accompanying them along the 13 Km. Of the protected area. You can bathe in the river in an unspoiled natural spectacle.

Between Portopalo and Ragusa

At 20 Km. From Portopalo, passing through Pachino, we arrive at Ispica. Here you can visit the Parco della Forza and the Cava d'Ispica, an impressive superposition of pre-Greek necropolises, catacombs, Byzantine hypogea and cave dwellings ranging from prehistoric times to almost today.

Continuing, we reach first Modica and then Ragusa (Unesco World Heritage), cities built on the steep walls of quarries of extraordinary beauty and scenographic grandeur, with baroque buildings of undoubted charm. The facades of the Baroque churches are splendid.

Returning you can pass by Scicli (Unesco Heritage) and then, along the sea, by the fishing villages of Donnalucata and Sampieri and, therefore, by the modern town of Pozzallo.

Piazza Armerina and Caltagirone

In Piazza Armerina you can visit the Villa Romana del Casale, the best preserved in the world and famous for its mosaics.

Caltagirone is the Sicilian capital of ceramics, with the famous Staircase of S. Maria del Monte.

Catania, Etna

An hour and a half by car you can reach Catania, a city between the mountains and the sea, which enchants the visitor especially in the most beautiful city streets: Etnea, on a gentle slope towards the background of the volcano, and the Via dei Crociferi. , full of sumptuous churches.

From Catania you can start to visit the vast territory of Etna. A unique and incomparable environment extends around the great volcano, rich in sounds, scents and colors. An area with an enchanting landscape, protected by a natural park that anyone in Sicily cannot fail to visit. The territory of the Etna Park extends from the summit of the volcano to the upper belt of the Etna villages.