It rises at the intersection of three valleys, with houses on all sides on the cliffs, a large square at the bottom straddling the bed of a stream, and ancient ecclesiastical buildings, which crown in several points, such as baroque acropolises, the semicircle of altitudes.
Scicli is the most beautiful city we have ever seen. Perhaps it is the most beautiful of all cities in the world. And people are happy in cities that are beautiful …
Elio Vittorini – The cities of the world
We are located in Scicli, Sicily, and very close to the places of Montalbano. Scicli is a splendid city in the Val di Noto, cradle of the Baroque with marvellous palaces and monuments, and where a crystalline sea also shines a few steps away.
The centre of Scicli is a succession of very characteristic streets that climb up rocky hills. The heart of Scicli is via Francesco Mormino Penna, where churches and baroque buildings follow one another and that make the city one of the most elegant in the world.
A few minutes’ drive away is the 1,7 km long Sampieri beach, one of the most beautiful in the south-east of Sicily. Nearby, there are also the beaches of Cava d’Aliga, Marina di Modica, Donnalucata and Marina di Ragusa, all of them with beaches, restaurants and water sports facilities.
The beaches in the Marina di Ragusa area have received more consecutive “Blue Flags”, reflecting the cleanliness of the waters and their general ecological excellence.
From a cultural and historical point of view, Villa Antica Aia is extremely well located, just outside the delightful town of Scicli and close to the other baroque pearls of the Val di Noto, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, including Modica, Ragusa and Noto.
A little further away, but also easily accessible by car, is the millennial city of Syracuse and the pristine beaches of the coastal scenery of the Vendicari Nature Reserve.
No less important and indeed more and more suggestive is the experience of an excursion on Mount Etna. Also known as Mongibello, Mount Etna known all over the world and declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO will give you unique emotions and breath-taking scenery thanks to the various excursions that are organized with and without a guide.
Another international tourist destination that many foreigners cannot miss by staying at Villa Antica Aia, just two hours away by car, is the splendid Agrigento.
Known for the ancient Greek ruins of the Valley of the Temples, Agrigento, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, can offer the millions of visitors who flock to it every year a journey through time.
To enrich the scenery of the architectural beauties around the province of Ragusa there is also the wonderful Taormina, one of the most famous tourist resorts in Sicily thanks to the vast historical, cultural and archaeological heritage.
It attracts visitors from all over the world to visit its Greco-Roman theatre, to taste its excellent gastronomy and stroll by the sea with breath-taking views.
