Val di Noto Real Estate Market

Bargains Amid the Baroque in the Val di Noto Real Estate Market

If you close your eyes and picture yourself enjoying breakfast on a Sicilian piazza, the chances are high that the backdrop will be light limestone, Baroque architecture and a cloudless blue sky. Nowhere on the island embodies this blend of timeless elegance and natural beauty better than the Val di Noto region at its south-eastern tip. Some of the most visited small towns on the island provide a reassuring context for investment in tourist accommodation and if you’re able to treat yourself to a second home in Sicily, Val di Noto real estate will surely be one one of your starting points.

What Makes the Val di Noto Special?

In an episode of HBO’s smash-hit blockbuster The White Lotus, one character invites a friend on a day trip to Noto. The reply is simple and memorable: “You don’t say no to Noto”. Nearly two million tourists clearly agree, with UNESCO estimating in September 2025 that around 1.9million visitors make the trip every year. But what draws them to this far corner of the island?

The roots of its popularity are rooted in the kind of epic natural drama that has shaped so much of our island. A huge earthquake struck the region in 1693, levelling many homes, and the then-rulers of the island, the Aragonese monarchy, took the opportunity to manage the recovery work in grand style. Eight towns and cities in particular – Caltagirone, Militello Val di Catania, Catania, Modica, Noto, Palazzolo, Ragusa and Scicli – became sites of such iconic late Baroque style that in 2002 UNESCO designated them a World Heritage Site.

We’ve written at some length about the northernmost of these, Catania and Caltagirone. In this piece we’ll give you a little tour of the southern towns, and the triangular coast that sits at the very south of the Sicilian mainland.

Are High Prices Inevitable Here?

The lavishly built little old towns and exclusive developments along the east coast, in particular, have made this region synonymous with a glamorous lifestyle. In 2021 Mick Jagger bought a ritzy seafront villa in the town of Portopalo di Capo Passero. A contemporary emphasis on sustainability has led to the emergence of luxury resorts like the Masseria della Volpe south of Noto, featured in the 2025 Michelin guide. The historic centre of Noto can see real estate worth over €6,000 per square metre – a fortune by Sicilian standards.

If that’s outside your budget, don’t give up! Even among the bigger towns in the region there is a good deal of variation in price, and Noto is certainly not representative of the whole area. We have found some characterful little villages along the Southern coast that you should certainly check out. Whether you’re looking for a characterful townhouse to renovate or a fully realised luxury villa we’re confident that you’ll find options even in this sought-after part of the island.

Where Should I Look for Real Estate in Val di Noto?

Let Us Find Your Dream Property for You

Cards on the table: this is the furthest part of Sicily from our offices, and as such we don’t have as wide a range of listings here as we are able to offer you in the provinces of Palermo and Messina, for example. However, don’t let that dissuade you. We are always ready to conduct a property search on behalf of clients who can tell us what they’re looking for and what budget they have.

This would start with a thorough combing of the Italian-language listings on real estate websites, both aggregators and private company pages. Once we have worked with you to narrow your search it might then include in-person scouting visits on your behalf, where we could either video call you in real time or prepare a video for you to watch later. Either way you’ll also receive a full written report, including our impartial thoughts on valuation.

If you find a property yourself that you’d like to buy, don’t be put off if it’s listed through an agency who don’t have fluent English-speaking staff. Another way we can help is to act on your behalf by contacting the relevant company and coming to a cooperative arrangement that lets us either act on your side of the deal or manage it entirely ourselves. We have a great track record of being able to make this kind of a deal – honestly, we suspect some agencies who aren’t used to overseas buyers are secretly relieved not to have to take on the complexities of working outside their comfort zone. At Property in Sicily, of course, it’s our whole mission.

Just remember that if you would like to work with us in this way, you need to contact our team before reaching out the other agency. In this way we can make an approach on your behalf without jeopardising our professional ethics or acting outside the law.

1. Noto, Avola and Capo Passero

The neat geometry and monumental architecture of the centre of Noto has an almost otherworldly quality, compared to the ramshackle terraces and meandering alleyways that make up many Sicilian cities. Wide boulevards, photogenic staircases and grand piazzas have the cohesion that can only come with a grand rebuild, and they have earned the city its nickname the Stone Garden. The golden limestone of the Cathedral of San Nicolò and nearby palazzi of Ducezio and Nicolaci seems to glow, especially as the sun sets behind the hills to the west of town.

Regular tourism and a busy cultural scene make Noto very international and the quality of life here is very high, with the chocolate box municipal theatre always busy and an abundance of music and events in the streets right through its long leisurely summers. Fashion icon Domenico Dolce is a regular visitor to the city, along as was his business partner, the late Stefano Gabbana. In the springtime the whole city centre is submerged in a carpet of colour for the Infiorata flower festival, and the region’s fertile growing soil also gives us one of Italy’s legendary grapes, the Nero d’Avola.

The real estate market here is costly, as you would expect from such a famous spot, but the city’s popularity continues to rise. Big ticket investments are arriving steadily, like the transformation of the Palazzo Castelluccio into a luxury hotel by the celebrated French television producer Jean-Louis Remilleux and the Rocco Forte group. Tourist apartments, especially in the old town, command rents of up to €2,000 per week in high season, making it a strong candidate for investment if you can find the necessary capital.

You’ll find that your money goes further in the countryside and villages outside the famous town, but if you really want the appeal of a place that’s walking distance to the great monuments, try the south-eastern corner near the railway station and east of the SS115 main road. This is more residential and has seen development in recent years.

Avola, home of the great Sicilian red wine, is five kilometres to the east, and runs down to a sandy beach which extends along almost the entire breadth of the town. Home to 30,000 people, it doesn’t have the grandeur of Noto but is nonetheless very liveable, with wide streets and a fair amount of greenery, especially towards the sea. The seafront itself is extremely pricey, but if you look inland towards the centre of town you could find a bargain.

Just to the north of Avola is the dramatic canyon of the Cava Grande del Cassibile-Carrubella. As the coast runs south towards the peninsula of Capo Passero, on the other hand, it passes through the gentler and more tranquil nature reserve of the Oasi Faunistica di Vendicari. The 15km2 park is a haven for seabirds, with the Calamosche beach at its heart famous for the unbeatable clarity of its water and fine golden sands.

Beyond this, you start to get to some remote but stunning cliffs and bays. The fishing village of Marzamemi is small but extremely picturesque. Mick Jagger’s huge seafront villa is in Portopalo di Capo Passero. The market obviously doesn’t generate much supply, but If you can find building land here, or maybe even an old ruin to renovate, you would have the potential to create something really sensational.

2. Modica and Ragusa

Looking inland, the twin cities of Modica and Ragusa are about 20km west of Noto and 15km north of the Mediterranean coast. Both built on top of lower hills in the Hyblean mountain range, they offer great views and dramatic urban landscapes. The steep slopes make them both feel more tightly packed than Noto or Avola, and neither has the geometry or open spaces that you’ll find in those cities, but they’re slightly larger cities of 55,000 and 75,000 residents apiece, with all the civic infrastructure you’d expect of settlements on this scale.

Socially, these towns have a little of the energy you find in busy cities like Catania and Palermo, making them great destinations for people drawn to the vibrant Sicilian way of life without wanting to have to travel so far to escape into nature. Modica is extremely famous as a centre for chocolate production, while Ragusa is known for the historic district of Ragusa Ibla, the highest and oldest part of the town which can feel like a portal back in time. Much of the beloved Italian TV series Inspector Montalbano was set against this picturesque backdrop.

The area has a secret transport advantage that could work in your favour, thanks to the small international airport at Comiso, just 25 minutes’ drive from Ragusa. The variety of flights and destinations on offer is limited, but if you get lucky it’s a far more convenient proposition than the 90 minute trip to Catania, and one of the most relaxed airport experiences you’ll find anywhere in Europe.

There is fantastic value on offer here, too. In 2025, average prices in the old town of Modica came in at just €1,100/m2, which really affordable by the standards of Val di Noto real estate. Ragusa is a little higher but still offers enticing bargains, especially if you like the challenge of a renovation project.

When you leave the towns behind, the countryside is exceptionally beautiful, and indeed you’ll find that the price per metre actually rises out here, driven by the peace, quiet and views. Stone-built farmhouses that have stood for centuries make amazing characterful villas once you’ve paid some attention to the fixtures and fittings and put on a new, insulated roof. For rural homes which are within easy driving distance of these landscapes but come at less of a premium price, look south, away from the hills and towards the sea.

3. Scicli and the South Coast

Along the way you will pass Scicli, the most southerly of the UNESCO-listed towns. Through the heart of the old town runs via Mormino Penna, one of Sicily’s most quietly impressive streets. Again, the golden limestone turns a magical colour under the sun, and the rolling lines of balconies and windows, alcoves and domes are yet more testament to the vision and skill of late Baroque architects.

We single it out because, in comparison to almost all of the other towns on the World Heritage list, Scicli really feels like an undiscovered gem. The city has about 25,000 residents, and the municipality estimates that only around 175,000 tourists visit each year, only about 10% of the crowds that head to the similarly sized Noto. A huge majority will come in July and August, too. We think this makes it a great choice if you’re looking to buy a primary residence in Sicily (a choice which exempts you from sales tax on your property purchase and comes with some other tempting financial rewards). This is a very authentic, relatively undisturbed slice of the old Sicily.

Properties will cost a little more than they would in the larger and more diluted markets of Modica and Ragusa, but there are great options whether you want an apartment in the town or a house in the countryside.

For beach property, look right along the coast from Marina di Ragusa to Granelli and Maucini. The chalk-white stacks of the Faraglioni di Ciriga give an unforgettable skyline to the beach of Santa Maria del Focallo, but there are other gems like the Sampieri at Marina di Modica, the small town of Pozzallo and the sleepy fishing village of Donnalucata

Conclusions

Noto is an undeniable marvel, and if you’re lucky enough to be able to afford a base there you’ll adore your time visiting and be able to count on lucrative rental returns – but there’s so much more to the region.

Premium prices in the city itself, and the area’s glamorous reputation may make Val di Noto real estate seem like an unattainable luxury, but broaden your search and you could find yourself with a bargain. Less than €100,000 could see you holidaying, working remotely or retiring amongst some gorgeous Baroque architecture just a short drive from beautiful, lesser-visited beaches in one of Europe’s sunniest regions. Take the time to explore the Hyblean mountains and the south coast and you could really hit the jackpot.