The vast field of ruins stretching across Mount Alveria, result of 36 centuries of human presence from the Bronze Age to the catastrophic earthquake of 1693, was not a destination for 18th-century travelers due to the absence of classical antiquities. Only in the late 19th century, with the first explorations made by the archaeologist Paolo Orsi from Rovereto, Ancient Noto entered in the archaeological literature. Also, in the late 19th century, the Milanese nobleman Carlo Airaghi published A Medieval Pompeii, a label that would accompany Ancient Noto to this day.

In the 1960s, Gaetano Passarello, a journalist and writer from Noto, drew the Noto community’s attention back to the history of the ancient city with his publication Netum Ante Christum Natum. However, the real turning point came with the founding of ISVNA, the “Institute for the Study and Valorization of Ancient Noto” (later expanded to “Noto and its Antiquities”). Through the tireless efforts of lawyer Francesco Balsamo, this organization would bring together dozens of scholars, researchers, and enthusiasts dedicated to studying the millennia-old history of the city—a reflection of Sicily’s history.

An enormous quantity of research has emerged, stemming from archival research, excavations, and explorations. These studies, conducted by academics, researchers, and enthusiasts from research institutions, universities, Superintendencies, and cultural associations, have provided over the past 50 years an increasingly clear and detailed picture of the civilizations that inhabited Mount Alveria.

Thanks to the digitization of the vast majority of publications related to the city’s history, this material will now be accessible to all—a tool to help other scholars and enthusiasts discover new aspects of the societies that came before us. Greater awareness of Ancient Noto strengthens its future as a premier cultural and tourist attraction in Sicily.

Section curated by Vincenzo Belfiore.