San Giacomo Lodges

Sicily

To begin your excursion discovering Sicily, you need a few, but indispensable things: good shoes, a real desire to get to know the place, and a camera to capture the beauty of this splendid land, with colors and tastes you will be able to carry in your heart and memory.

You'll become familiar with myths, history, archeological sites, beaches and the most enchanting places. You will be captured by the warmth and kindness of the people and you will participate in festivals, spectacular celebrations and also religious festivals.

You will constantly be immersed in an atmosphere between the past and the present, an atmosphere that will let you experience unforgettable emotions.

Noto Valley - Pearl of Sicily

The edge of south-eastern Sicily is surrounded by the Ionian Sea to the East and by the Channel of Sicily to the South. It includes the province of Ragusa and the southern part of the province of Siracuse. The territory is almost completely occupied by the Hyblean Plateau, a tableland known for the layers of limestone alternating with those of humus.

The fields are surrounded by little drystone walls. Green carob trees and farms dot the landscape, but for the most part the countryside is covered in little vegetation.

We can divide this territory into three parts. First, a flat area which includes a stretch of coast with various towns such as Scicli, Ispica, Pozzallo, Portopalo di Capopassero, Pachino and Avola. Next, an intermediate hillside area which includes Comiso, Ragusa, Modica and Noto. And finally, a mountainous inland section where Chiaramonte, Giarratana, Monterosso Almo and Palazzolo stand and where the maximum height is represented by Mont Lauro, an old extinct volcano, standing at 986 meters. On the flat part cultivation prevails.

The flora is fundamentally Mediterranean. Oak trees are a feature of the spur of Mount Lauro. You can also find spontaneous plane trees; carob trees are typically found in hilly areas. Near the canyons, acanthus, oleanders, capers, ivy and wild figs are common.

In the marsh between Pozzallo and Pachino reeds and rushes flourish and among them, in Vendicari's protected area, amphibians, snakes and fishing birds find safe refuge.