When I told my good friend, Luis, from Paris Boheme, that we were going to Sicily he said we must visit Scicli. He spent many happy summers there when he was a child. So we made a point of looking for Scicli when we left nearby Noto.
We had no idea what to expect and were enthralled from the moment we made a dramatic entrance into the steep ravine where Scicli sits basking in the sunshine.
We could see ancient cave dwellings dotted around the cliffs edges. There was nowhere to stop so I had to take photos from the car.
The town grew up around 2 valleys divided by steep ridges. The same earthquake that destroyed Noto in 1693 damaged Scicli, so it has some Baroque buildings too. I think the setting is much more interesting in Scicli and there were no crowds at all.
The buildings are impressive and there are several lovely piazzas, perfect for enjoying the spring weather. Our eyes were constantly drawn up to the huge buildings above the town.
There were pretty balconies.
I absolutely love the quirky decorations that appeared everywhere we went.
I was most amused by this rooftop…old and new together.
Luis told us of his favourite pasticceria, Giannone, the oldest and most famous in town. We arrived at lunch time and caught it just before it closed for siesta. We bought a very delicious selection of pastries.
In the park in the centre of town I was surprised to see a huge poinsettia plant. It is the official flower of Brisbane and this one was a long way from home.
With everything closed it was time for lunch. Tre Colli was recommend by some locals and the location offered great views over the centre of town.
Our lunch was delicious. The pasta sauce was very local, based on fava beans.
The town looked very impressive from above as we drove out.
Get yourselves to Scicli while it is still relatively unknown. There are plans to restore some of the cave dwellings. As well as that it is one of the film locations for Montalbano, so it is bound to become busier. We loved it…thank you Luis.
There are sandy beaches on the coast nearby, but we didn’t go there, we headed off to Ragusa, which will be the subject of the next post.