Private Transfer Tour from Ragusa to Siracusa: stopovers into Noto and Palazzolo Acreide

Ragusa > Noto and Palazzolo Acreide > Syracuse
Approximately Travel Time and Unit: Full Day  –  80 Miles (130 Kilometers)
Private Vehicle and English Speaking Driver Disposal: full day from h 8.30AM 

Today meet our staff and departure for Noto. In the Arab period the town was the capital of one of the three districts of Sicily (the Val di Noto) and once defeated by the Christians, Noto became a rich Norman city. Unfortunately it was totally destroyed by the 1693 Sicilian earthquake and rebuilt in a new position nearer to the Ionian Sea. But the new Noto is a masterpiece of Sicilian Baroque! Most of the buildings, including churches and noble palaces, follow one another along the main street and are characterized by the honey tonality of tufa stone. Facades and balconies are all skillfully decorated by grinning masks, lion heads, putti and other embellishments. Unmissable is Noto Cathedral, dedicated to Saint Nicholas and built in perfect Sicilian Baroque style.

This afternoon onto Palazzolo Acreide. The area around Palazzolo Acreide has been inhabited since ancient times. In the 10th-11th centuries B.C.E, the Siculi lived here in small villages. The town occupies the site of the ancient Akrai (Admission fee: not included), founded by Syracuse around 664 BC. The city was important as it controlled the paths of communication between the towns on the southern coast of the island. According to Thucydides, the Syracusans defeated the Athenians here in 413 BC. In the treaty between the Romans and Hiero II of Syracuse in 263 BC it was assigned to the latter. After the Roman conquest, it became a civitas stipendiaria, and was still prospering in the course of the early Christian age. The old city was probably destroyed by the Arabs, in the first half of the 9th century. The new city was built around a Norman castle, which no longer exists. An earthquake in 1693 destroyed almost the entire city, which was slowly rebuilt in the following centuries.

Later onto Syracuse.

This transfer tour is operated with English speaking Driver.
Local guide is available on request paying a surcharge.

TOUR DETAILS & BOOKING INFORMATION

FULL DAY TRANSFER-TOUR: Full day excursion is approximately 7-10 hours in accordance with the itinerary and route.

PRE-POST TOURS: pre-post tours and packages are available on request.

BAGGAGE HANDLING: One big size and one trolley per person are allowed in this tour.

ADMISSION FEES: The price of this tour does not include Admission Fees.

TOUR CODE: RAGAKRSRS