Weekend Getaway to the Noto Region
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Naomi, my youngest daughter, recently turned two and we used it as an excuse to get out of town and go explore the Southern region of Sicily. We had heard good things about Lido San Lorenzo in the southeastern section of the island and even though it’s about an hour and half from where we live, we decided to make a whole weekend of it. This would give us the chance to explore a nearby town named Noto.
Mennuli and Alivi Organic Farm
Since we decided to do the trip last minute and its peak tourism season in Sicily, most of the nearby hotels and B&Bs were all booked. After searching around, we found an agritourismo called Mennuli and Alivi Organic Farm. It was a quaint quiet farmhouse just outside of the town of Rosolini. Agritourismo’s are like B&B’s but on and surrounded by a working farm. They come in all shapes and sizes from locations that resemble a spa to others that are more bare bones. They have grown in popularity in Italy and a lot of people use them as a quiet retreat away from the noise of the city where you can relax and unwind. Mennuli and Alivi contains 3 guest cabins, a pool, a main house where you dine and Marco and Michele prepare dinner (upon request) and breakfast, and the surrounding farmlands. There they grow almonds, olives, figs, oranges, pomegranates, lemons, and carobs.
Michele came to our cabin after checking in and wanted to verify what the kids would or would not eat. Based on the information provided, he was able to make them a separate plate than what was being offered on the menu that evening. A lot of what they grow there finds its way onto your table during dinner or breakfast. At dinner, olive oil from olives they grow accompanied the bread and the after-dinner drink was a digestivo made from lemons and basil. It was a good drink, and it packed a lot of punch. Breakfast included a typical Sicilian breakfast item in the summer, granita and brioche as well as almonds and figs grown locally.
The four of us plus Penny stayed in a one room cabin consisting of a queen size bed, a day bed, and they provided a crib for Naomi. It had Wi-Fi that you could use for streaming Netflix on the TV or surfing your phone. To be honest with you I don’t think we turned on the TV once though. The entire room including the bathroom was modern and updated and the air conditioner was a great relief after being out in the hot summer sun all day. For most of the night after dinner and Vanessa and Naomi went to bed, Cassandra, Penny, and I sat out on the front porch enjoying glasses of wine, the cool summer evening, the lanterns that hung from the nearby trees, and admiring the number of stars you could see with the limited light pollution.
If you find yourselves in Sicily and want to save a few dollars/euros without sacrificing too much comfort, I will highly recommend staying at Mennuli and Alivi. You can find out more about their farm at mennuliealivinoto.it or make reservations at booking.com.
Lido San Lorenzo
On the second day of our trip, after breakfast, it was time to get ready to head to the beach. It was only about 15 to 20 minutes from the agritourismo, so the drive wasn’t too bad. As I mentioned before, it’s the height of tourism season so Lido’s book up fast. There are two types of beaches here in Sicily, spiaggia’s or your typical free beach where you bring your own towels, umbrellas, etc. The second type of beach is the lido, which is like a beach club back in the states except you pay each time you use it instead of a membership. Lido San Lorenzo has two sides, the Classic and the Plus. The main difference between the two is that the plus contains cabanas as an option to choose from to soak up the sun in between dips in the water as well as beach chairs with umbrellas, a locker room to change at the end of the day, welcome cocktails, and food and beverage service to your spot on the beach.
Once we checked in, a greeter walked us to our beach spot and showed us how to use the QR codes to order food and drinks. The sand was flat and smooth but hot and we were situated about 3 or 4 rows back from the beach. By the time I made it from my chair to the water, it felt like my feet were on fire and it took a minute or two in the cool sea water for the uncomfortableness to subside. The water off the coast of San Lorenzo was the picturesque teal blue, clear, and calm with minimal waves that you might associate with Mediterranean beaches. It was also fairly shallow since Vanessa and I were able to walk what felt like 50 to 100 meters off the shore before we were treading water. Besides the people, there were paddle boards, paddle boats with a slide off the back, jet skiers pulling banana boats, and lots of boats.
If you want to get out of the sun for a little bit, San Lorenzo has a self-service food option as well as a restaurant. Be sure to make a reservation for the restaurant since it fills up fast which you can do when you check in on the Plus side. It is hard to beat the views from the restaurant and I was lucky enough that Vanessa and Cassandra sat with their backs to the sea allowing me to keep my eye on the water the whole time. There were plenty of options to choose from such as pasta, pizza, seafood, salad, and a kid’s menu. I opted for the Regina del Mare (Queen of the Sea), which I though was prawns, octopus, clams, mussels over a tomato-based pasta but ended up being a pizza. It was accidentally put in front of Vanessa, and I wish I had gotten her reaction on camera because she looked petrified. Despite her look of fear, the pizza was very delicious, though it should be said, that it’s probably better suited for two to three people. I ate it myself and by the end, the seafood toppings began to get a little chewy.
This is the second lido we’ve been to, but so far, San Lorenzo has been my favorite. The chairs and umbrellas were spaced out generously allowing us to move the chairs as the shade from the umbrella moved without disturbing the people on either side of. The prices can vary depending on which option you choose or the time of year but for 4 chairs and an umbrella on the plus side, we paid about 127 euros or about 30 a chair which seems reasonable to me for this time of year with the upgraded amenities. You can find out more details and an option that suits your needs at lidosanlorenzo.it where you can reserve your parking and beach access ahead of time (highly recommended during the peak summer months).
Noto
Before heading home, after we checked out of the agritourismo, we made our way to Noto to explore. I have heard this town mentioned a few times since we’ve been here and figured it was the perfect place to stop, walk around a little bit, and have lunch before returning home. Noto is a UNESCO Heritage Site situated about 40 minutes southwest of Siracusa featuring Baroque style architecture on many of their buildings. We stuck to two main streets Via Camillo Benso Conte di Cavour and Corso Vittorio Emanuele.
Cattedrale di San Nicolò
On Via Camillo Benso Conte, we found two sets of steps that had been decorated in modern style artwork. The risers of the steps were wrapped in sections of the art from the bottom to the top of the stairs giving the artwork an elongated look. For this short excursion, this was the highlight of my trip.
Progetto grafico Emilio Ruggieri
Unfortunately, it was a really hot day, and the sidewalks were tough on Penny’s feet and Naomi was hot and tired, so everyone was a little on edge and sort of ready to get back home. Before we headed home, we did get to walk around and admire the churches, food, and shops along Corso Vittorio Emanuele. It was Sunday and around 11ish in the morning, so we were unable to go into the church and view the artwork within. From what we saw, Noto is worth another trip to explore in more detail when it’s not so hot or we have the dog with us. On the plus side its only about an hour and half from our home so it won’t be long before we return, possibly as soon as August to see Russel Crowe and his band the Gentlemen Barbers.
