If you’re making your way around Val di Noto in southeastern Sicily in Italy and want a real cultural experience, make sure to visit A Rutta Ri Ron Carmelu (The Cave Home of Don Carmelo) in Scicli.
Here are a few fun facts about Scicli, followed by suggestions for your visit to A Rutta Ri Ron Carmelu:
–The town’s name is pronounced SHEEK-lee.
–The population of Scicli is about 27,000.
–Scicli is a 40- to 45-minute drive from the popular destination of Noto, Sicily.
–Parts of the famous Italian show “Inspector Montalbano” were filmed in Scicli.
–The town was hit badly by a 1693 earthquake, which also destroyed much of the Val di Noto (Noto Valley). The upside, however, is that the whole area rebuilt itself over the following century in the Sicilian Baroque style that makes Val di Noto so famous today.
–It’s one of eight towns in the Val di Noto that’s been named a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
–Amazingly, the town dates back to the year 300 BCE.
Scicli, Sicily: Our First Impressions
I would have never considered visiting Scicli, not because of anything bad but I simply had not heard of it. However, a Sicily native mentioned it (it always pays to ask locals for advice), and the name caught my attention.
I made my way there during my February 2026 visit to southeastern Sicily, which you can discover more about here. It was a 45-minute drive from my B&B in Noto, and there were some real twists and turns on the road due to elevation. Stay alert!
At first I tried to park at the train station (not sure why I thought to do that), but a female police officer chided me as she saw I was about to walk away from the station. As it turns out, the train station and local police station share space. Oops!
I moved my car and parked much closer to where I actually wanted to be, enjoying a cornetto e succo di arancia (croissaint and orange juice) while sitting outside of a cafe and taking in the view. There was a group of moms nearby chatting about something but with my beginner Italian, I wasn’t sure what.
Despite similarities in Baroque architecture, Scicli has a different feel than Noto. For those of you from the U.S., the geography and small-town feel reminded me of the state of West Virginia with its hills and rock formations.
Also, the people seemed….friendlier. I was happy that the people I met in Scicli were a chatty crowd, even with my just-emerging Italian language skills.
Now, here’s the scoop on A Rutta Ri Ron Carmelu, and I’ll use my next article to tell you about other parts of Scicli.
Note that I was traveling solo but I sometimes use “we” in my writing to avoid using “I” all the time. Andiamo!
A Visit to A Rutta Ri Ron Carmelu
After my croissaint and orange juice and a visit to the historic Church of San Bartolomeo , I made my way toward the Chiafura cave district of Scicli to visit La Rutta Ri Ron Carmelu. Discover more about this interesting cave district here with an article from Slow Sicily, or watch this YouTube video.
I used my phone GPS to help reach Rutta Ri Ron Carmelu and it kept taking me to the wrong address. As it turns out, Rutta Ri Ron Carmelu was somewhat hidden, but there is the occasional sign as you climb up the hill.
I remember asking someone for help (did I speak Italian?! I guess I did!), and then eventually came across a sign that told me to walk a little further up in the housing community and it would be there.
A Rutta is basically a cave home shown off by Signore (Mr.) Carmelo, a charming, inventive man who speaks no English.
Yet don’t let that stop you from visiting.
Mr. Carmelo’s grandparents raised six children in the small cave home, including his father. Even if you don’t understand Italian, you’ll still pick up a good deal of what he’s saying because there are so many visuals that explain things.
During the tour, Mr. Carmelo shows creative, efficient tools his grandparents used for cooking, cleaning, and even potty training for the small children.
As the sign for A Rutta explains (I had help translating the Italian online, which apparently also contains some Sicilian dialect), the caves in town were once used as homes, stables, and to store farming products.
Life in the caves was difficult because of steep paths and stairs (some of which remain today) and having to walk far for water.
People lived in the caves until the 1950s, when the government declared they were no longer safe for living.
It was off-season, so I was the only visitor that morning. Mr. Carmelo lives in a normal home (or normal for the hill homes), located right beside A Rutta.
After he showed me his family’s cave home, Mr. Carmelo started to show me his many inventions and creations that are for sale.
He also showed me the area within the cave home that displays his handcrafted nativity scene and a traditional Sicilian village. It’s a lot to take in, but it’s impressive and certainly took a lot of patience to create.
Mr. Carmelo also shared his skill and professional-level ability for using spinning tops. He demonstrated the use of a spinning top with such joy, you could see how the thrill likely started in childhood and never stopped. I’ll post a video of Mr. Carmelo and his spinning top on our Instagram account (@ItalyDreams).
Next, Mr. Carmelo took me into an adjacent cave area where he had postcards, soaps, oregano, ceramics, and many, many other items that he had made for sale. A TripAdvisor review described this as a sales pitch, and I guess it was–but in the most entertaining way possible. I felt drawn to a small black ceramic vase with a pink flower on it (another Mr. Carmelo creation) that I purchased and later photographed before I left Scicli’s cave area.
My time with Mr. Carmelo felt like a real connection with a local.
Whether you seek that local connection, some beautiful views high on the hills, the history hidden in his family’s cave home, or some souvenir shopping that supports someone local, you’ll find it at A Rutta Ri Ron Carmelu.
Some Tips for Your Visit to A Rutta Ri Ron Carmelu
—Bring Euros. At the time of my visit, Mr. Carmelo didn’t take any credit or debit cards. Apple Pay? LOL, no. It’s 3 Euros to visit per person, and then you may opt for a homemade souvenir as well.
—Be prepared for a bit of a workout to climb the hill. If you don’t like walking and have a rental car, you can drive most of the way up.
—Be aware that Mr. Carmelo may ask you not to take photos inside the cave home. There’s even a small sign inside that asks you not to take pics. He allowed me to take one photo that I’ve shared with this story. It’s OK to take pics elsewhere during your visit, like outside the cave home.
—Call to confirm it’s open. You can find the phone number to call here, and go to where it says “Grotte Museo” (Grotto Museum). Per the website link, A Rutta is open from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. and then 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. Monday to Friday, and same hours but until 9 p.m. on Sunday. Note that many businesses in Sicily take that afternoon break time.
Want to find out more about Scicli? We’ll post a follow-up story very soon with even more places to visit.
Buon viaggio!
Italy Dreams 