NOTO, SICILY:
A 4-night Travel Guide for Families with Autistic Children
Useful information for Families Travelling with Autistic / ADHD Children
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OUR ITINERARY
Your family will never eat or drink so well as you do in Noto. Its the perfect place for parents, grandparents, autistic and non-autistic children to relax and enjoy a little slice of Italian La Dolce Vita!
DAY ONE
We drove to Noto from Ortigia Island in Syracuse, arriving at my brother's apartment around 10.30am - where we spent the morning catching up with family.
Drove to Marzamemi Beach Club (25 mins) to have lunch with family and friends - spent the afternoon swimming and playing on the beach and in the playground.
Evening drinks at Unoteca and dinner at Il Bistor in Noto's Old town
DAY TWO
Mid-morning visit to the Noto Art Gallery and then a short walk to explore the old town
Lunch in apartment with friends
Afternoon relaxing inside apartment out of the heat
Early evening until late - pre-wedding reception on the rooftop of the Hotel Gagliardi
DAY THREE
Day of the Wedding
Mid morning spent with friends and their children in the apartment, they stayed for lunch.
Early afternoon was about getting everyone ready for wedding and meeting at transfer point in old town for 2:30pm.
Afternoon until late - attend wedding at the incredible Dimora Estate
DAY FOUR
Boys and J spend the day mostly inside recovering from the late night. Fred not feeling well.
I meet a girlfriend for a trip to Cafe Sicilia mid morning.
Friends come over for lunch (and to use our washing machine!)
Early evening visit from an old family friend - stayed for a couple of hours.
Evening spent packing, cases all done and ready to go in the hallway. Change of clothes left out for each person.
DAY FIVE
An early start to check out of our accommodation and drive to Catania airport for flight home.
GETTING THERE
BY PLANE
We flew to Sicily with Wizz Air, departing from Gatwick South Terminal and arriving into Vincenzo Bellini Catania airport. The flight took around 3hrs 15mins.
It is possible to fly into Palermo instead of Catania and then travel across country to Noto. Palermo is around 290km from Noto on the north coast of the island. By car, the direct journey between the two cities takes about 3 hours - 3 & 1/2 hours.
AIRPORT TRANSFERS
BY CAR:
From Catania to Noto by car / taxi takes approximately 1hr and 15 minutes. We picked up our rental car on arrival at the airport - a process which was quite stressful and involved unsuccessful negotion to get the car size we felt we'd paid for.
(In the end J gave up and agreed a small amount extra per day to get one that would fit us and our luggage. I dont think I'd book through a third party price comparison site again.)
BY BUS
Public transport from the airport to the bus station in Noto's Old town Island takes c. 1hr 30 minutes on the InterBus IN01.
The bus departs the airport at 40 minutes past each hour (e.g. 11:40am) and has only 3 stops. An adult single costs approx £7.
For more general information on transferring to and from Catania Airport visit their travel page.
BY SEA
It is possible to travel to the city of Noto from mainland Italy by ferry or train (the carriages get put onto a ferry to cross the Strait of Messina). Not all routes take cars. For more information about taking a no-fly option visit the helpful Interrail website.
SENSORY ENVIRONMENT
We were in Noto for a family wedding, so it was not a destination we had specifically chosen for us as a neurodiverse family. While it was not exactly child friendly, we found ways of making it work for the boys sensory needs, and still managed to have a great time.
FOOD SCENE
Noto had some amazingly atmospheric restaurants, bars and cafes - but these are not the places we generally take our children! There was a lack of green spaces in the old town for picnicking, so for everyone's sake we did all the kids meals in the apartment - read more in the Food Section.
However J & I were lucky enough to get a night out together without the boys when grandparents offered to babysit, and we made the most of it!
AUTISM / CHILD FRIENDLY ATTRACTIONS
I felt that Noto was a serious city, more for grownups than children. The architecture is incredible and the Cathedral is absolutely stunning but it was all very refined and crumbling - it didnt seem to have the same playful spirit we found in Ortigia, Syracuse.
We had a great visit to Noto Art Gallery mainly because it had a Caravaggio on display - but the staff were very twitchy towards Charlie which made us more jumpy than usual as well.
OUTDOOR SPACES
Our boys love having time outside for free play, and we didnt find any obvious places for them to do this in Noto's Old town. However we did have a fantastic afternoon at a beach club in Marzamemi - a coastal resort a short 30 minute drive away.
MEDICAL EMERGENCIES
IF YOU NEED EMERGENCY HELP IN SICILY YOU SHOULD CALL 112
If you know you want an ambulance you can call
118 directly.
112 is the pan-European emergency number and can be called for any type of emergency.
It is a free number which can be dialled from any landline or mobile phone.
Operators speak English and will connect you to local services. If in doubt, or if you are worried about being able to explain the emergency in Italian, this is the number to use.
The number 114 provides the same pan-European assistance for people with hearing difficulties.
You can also go to the emergency ward (pronto soccorso) at any hospital. Many doctors in Sicily speak English.
If you know which serrvice you require you can call:
Police: 113 (accidents, thefts, etc.).
Fire brigade: 115 (fires, weather emergencies).
118 is also relevant for mountain or cave rescue.
Sea Rescue 1530
NOTO PHOTO GALLERY
Noto captivated us with its beautiful architecture and incredible food.
This part of our trip was all about seeing friends and family - and of course going to my brother's the wedding! We had an incredible time and made amazing memories during our time in Noto!
SLEEPING
We booked a gorgeous 2 bedroom apartment on Airbnb in the centre of Noto. It was spacious, cool and tastefully decorated.
We were lucky to find this 2 bedroom apartment on Airbnb. It was centrally located, near to the cathedral and main square and we absolutely fell in love with it. It was so well laid out, with a huge kitchen and central table just begging to be filled with large platters of delicious food and surrounded with people. The bedrooms really big with comfortable beds and the bathroom was lovely. It even had its own terrace out the back with sun loungers as well as a balcony that ran the length of the apartment on the other sie and looked out over the city's old town.
EATING & DRINKING
SELF-CATERING
We rarely eat out with the boys, other than trips to a few of their favourite cafes locally. Our plan for Sicily was to self-cater most / all of our meals, with the added benefit of helping to keep costs down. To make sure Charlie would be ok we had packed plenty of safe foods from home including marmite, oat cakes, oat milk, corn snacks and fruit yoyo's.
SUPERMARKETS
There was no large supermarket in Noto's Old Town, but there are some on the outskirts. This was not a problem for us as we had stocked up en route from Ortigia, and we supplemented this shop with the local delis, pasticerrias and odd smaller stores that carryed a limited range of products (including gluten free!).
ALCOHOL
This was freely available in supermarkets as well as specialist wine shops scattered around the town.
EATING OUT / TAKEAWAY
BREAKFAST
Breakfast was a mix of fresh fruit, cereal, toast and freshly baked Sicilian pastries from the pasticceria at the end of our road.
LUNCH
For lunch we enjoyed one meal at the Marzamemi beach club and the rest from the fabulous selection of cheeses, cold meats and salads from the deli opposite our apartment (served by THE GRUMPIEST old Sicilian you will ever meet - I adored it!).
EVENING MEAL
For the boys meals we cooked a selection of simple food (mostly pasta / cold meats) in the gorgeous kitchen in our apartment.
On our first night in Noto J's was over the moon when grandparents volunteered to babysit one night and we were at last able to sample a little of Noto's amazing food scene. We started with drinks in Enoteca and then dined at the restaurant Viva Il Bistrot.
Our second and third nights were catered as part of wedding events.
For our last night we felt obliged to order takeaway Sicilian pizza - and it was sooooo good!
We would highly recommend all the places we dined (both in situ and as take away)! See list below for links.
Mangiafico for amazing pastries and arancini
Enoteca for atmospheric drinks and nibbles in a fairy lit courtyard
Viva Il Bistrot for refined Sicilian dining al fresco
Caffe Sicilia for 4th generation wizadry in the field of cakes and pastry
Isola Bella (pizzeria) for seriously tasty, reasonably priced pizza
TRANSPORT OPTIONS
TOURIST TRAIN
Although we didnt get a chance to ride it, the Little Tourist Train (Trenino Barocco) left from nearby our apartment and looked like fun. It lasts only 35 minutes but could be good way to see some of the main sites for under 10 euro a person.
DRIVING
It is possible to drive in the centre of Noto's old town but the streets are very narrow, and mostly one way so it can be quite stressful finding your way around!
Parking was also difficult to find near to our accommodation, and we ended up unloading our suitcases sort of nearby and then leaving the car in a square some distance away which was a little bit worrying.
ROADSIDE ASSISTANCE
24hr emergency assistance for motorists is provided by the Automobile Club d’Italia (ACI),
Call 116 for ACI roadside assistance. You can also call 803.116 toll-free from landlines or Italian mobile phones, or 800.116.800 toll-free from foreign mobile phones.
Remember to always take with you your driving license, passport, car rental agreement, and proof of insurance with you while driving. This documentation will be essential in case of an accident or if you’re stopped by the police.
GENERAL HEALTHCARE
We highly recommend that every traveller in your family is covered by comprehensive travel insurance that also includes health cover.
FREE HEALTHCARE
UK residents can access medically necessary healthcare when visiting Sicily if they have obtained an EHIC, Global Health Insurance Card (GHIC) or a UK European Health Insurance Card (UK EHIC) issued by the UK government.
EVERY member of the family needs their own card. You can find more information about applying on the government website. Allow sufficient times, at least 21 days for your card to arrive.
However you SHOULD STILL take out travel insurance as this may not cover all medical costs e.g. repatriation.
DOCTOR
Tourists can go directly to a GP’s surgery - however there may be a lengthy wait. To avoid these queues, it may be best to use a private provider, for example doctorsa or doctorsinitaly
It is unlikely that private health insurance in your own country would cover the consultation or prescription expenses, you would need specific travel insurance. We have not used these services.
PHARMACIST / CHEMIST
You will need to go to a pharmacy to get most over-the-counter medicines. Pharmacies are widely available and are usually identified by a green cross. They are normally open from around 8am - 8pm, but may close for a couple of hours in the early afternoon.
UK prescriptions are not accepted, though you may be able to buy an equivalent medication from the pharmacy.
Alternatively, you can visit an Italian GP to obtain a local prescription. Prescription medicines are not free in Italy, but with an EHIC or GHIC, and an Italian prescription, you will pay a reduced rate.
We consulted a pharmacist in Noto after Fred woke up with a swollen face from an insect bite (we think) and she was extremely helpful. She provided us with the necessary medicine (child steroids), clear instructions on how to administer and information on what to do if he didnt improve within 24 hours. It only cost us 3 euros!
ANTIBIOTICS
It is possible to get antibiotics in Sicily. They can be prescribed during a video consultation with a doctor. Antibiotics in Sicily are not available over the counter and pharmacies do not have doctors on site. To buy antibiotics, you'll need to carry a doctor's prescription to a pharmacy.
HOSPITALS
HOSPITAL G. DI MARIA - is located around 18 mins drive from Noto in Avola and has a and has a 24hr A&E department and urgent care treatment. it also has a paedicatric ward.