About halfway along Corso Vittorio Emanuele is the graceful Piazza Municipio, flanked by Noto's most dramatic buildings. To the north, sitting in stately pomp at the head of Paolo Labisi's monumental staircase is the Basilica Cattedrale di San Nicolò, surrounded by a series of elegant palaces. To the left (west) is Palazzo Landolina, once home to the powerful Sant'Alfano family. Across the street, Palazzo Ducezio features a partly convex facade, its graceful arches supported by Ionic-capital columns.
Designed by Vincenzo Sinatra in the mid-18th century, the palace's lower-level building was only completed in 1830, while the top floor was built in the first half of the 20th century. It now houses Noto's town hall.