The oldest evidence of the peoples who have settled on this island: Greeks, Romans, Byzantines, Swabians, Arabs, Spanish and others. A riot of architecture and history from different eras, magically intertwined in the narrow streets of this village surrounded by the crystalline waters of the Ionian Sea.

Città natale di Archimede, Ortigia è l’isola di Siracusa e ne costituisce la parte più antica. Arricchita di vestigia dell’epoca coloniale spagnola e dallo stile barocco del ’700, conserva tuttavia molte testimonianze del suo splendore più antico tra cui la Chiesa di San Giovanni Battista, nel quartiere ebraico della Giudecca, e i Templi di Apollo e di Atena, risalenti al V secolo a.c. circa. Quest’ultimo fu incorporato secoli dopo nella struttura del Duomo, in stile barocco. E proprio in piazza Duomo si affollano i visitatori per un aperitivo al tramonto, quando la roccia bianca si tinge dei colori del cielo. Poco distante, a due passi dal mare, zampilla la fonte Aretusa, sorgente di acqua dolce che deve il nome ad una musa, dalla quale cresce uno degli unici due papireti che si trovano in Italia. Si dice che fu proprio un faraone egizio a donare il papiro al Tiranno di Siracusa, pianta che altrimenti crescerebbe spontanea solo lungo le sponde del Nilo. Sull’estremità meridionale dell’isola sorge infine il maestoso Castello Maniace costruito probabilmente su un’altra antica fortezza da Federico II di Svevia. E infine, subito fuori da Ortigia, troviamo il parco archeologico di Siracusa con il suo famoso Teatro, dove ancora oggi in primavera e in estate vanno in scena le tragedie e commedie alle quali un tempo assistevano i greci stessi.

The "Capital of Baroque" and UNESCO World Heritage Site, forged from the enchanting pink rock and the skilled hands of Baroque sculptors and artists, a jewel that rises from the slopes of the Iblei Mountains to overlook its valley rich in nature and beauty.

The 'Capital of Baroque' owes its name to the Baroque jewels of its historic centre, which was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2002. Noble palaces and churches in 18th-century style, above all Palazzo Nicolaci and the Cathedral of San Nicolò, embellish the town with their characteristic pink stone, which at sunset tints it a fairy-tale purple. Victim of the 1693 earthquake that razed it to the ground, the town was rebuilt further down the valley, leaning against one end of the Iblei Mountains. From here, Noto overlooks the valley that takes its name, the Val di Noto, where, alternating between hills and plains, almond groves, olive groves, carob groves, citrus groves and vineyards triumph. A source of pride and authentic wonder is the Vendicari Nature Reserve, a wildlife oasis with some of the most beautiful beaches in all of Sicily. In these places, at dusk, it is not unusual to see flocks of flamingos flying over the bathers. The lucky ones will tell you that they have met the sea turtles that nest on these beaches every year between May and June.

Our bed and breakfast is located in Avola, the "city of almonds" and Nero d'Avola, amidst the majesty of the Iblei mountains, the vastness of the Ionian Sea and the eighteenth-century touch of the Baroque style.

It is called "the city of almonds" in honour of the famous Pizzuta di Avola, one of the almond varieties most appreciated by connoisseurs for its extraordinary organoleptic properties. But in addition to the almond groves, the city is also home to its Nero d'Avola, a tannic, fruity and typically high-alcohol red wine that was once used by the French as a blending wine before being fully exploited and then exported worldwide. Nestled between the Iblei Mountains, behind it, and the Ionian Sea, opposite, the city never fails to surprise its visitors with sea views of golden sands and turquoise waters, or the limestone canyons dotted with natural lakes in the Cavagrande del Cassibile Nature Reserve. Not to be missed is a walk in the centre of the typical hexagonal city plan, where you can find ancient noble palaces and churches in eighteenth-century style, including the Mother Church in Piazza Umberto I and the Church of Santa Venera, the patron saint of the city, in Piazza Teatro. Our bed and breakfast in Avola is waiting for you to enjoy all this, and more.