Palazzo Ducezio

Palazzo Ducezio is the town hall of Noto, facing the cathedral across Piazza del Municipio in a display of civic and ecclesiastical power typical of Baroque urban design. The colonnaded facade designed by Vincenzo Sinatra (nephew of the more famous Rosario Gagliardi) is a study in controlled elegance — lighter and more horizontal than the cathedral opposite, providing a visual counterpoint.

The ground floor loggia is open to the public; the main ceremonial rooms upstairs (the Sala degli Specchi or Hall of Mirrors is the highlight) can be visited on guided tours. The piazza between the two buildings is the natural gathering point in Noto, particularly at the evening passeggiata when the whole town turns out to walk, meet, and be seen.

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A story
The palace is named after Ducetius, the Sicel leader who founded the original settlement on this site in the 5th century BC. Whether this is genuine continuity or retrospective civic pride is debatable, but the name stuck. The building itself is entirely 18th century — the original palace was destroyed in 1693 along with everything else.