Noto

The façade used as a puppet theatre

Thanks to a recent restoration, Palazzo Nicolaci can be appreciated in all its original beauty and is one of the symbols of Sicilian Baroque art. It was the city’s noble residence of the Nicolaci family and has four storeys: the ground floor was used for stables and storing food; the first floor was the piano nobile (main floor) where the Baron lived; the rest of the family stayed on the upper floor, and the attic was for the servants. portale d’accesso con balconeThe entrance portal is framed by two columns and is surmounted by a large balcony.
The façade is a street theatre reminiscent of the theatre of Sicilian puppets because of the masks and characters carved into it.
Anyone passing through Via Corrado Nicolaci is in awe of the incredible corbels . Five for each balcony, they depict mythological figures including mermaids, sphinxes and horses. Each corbel is richly decorated, almost as though in fear of leaving even the smallest of spaces free.
Such attention to decoration can be found in the cornices around the windows; they feature plant elements, human faces and masks.
As for the material used, it is the typical stone of Noto which turns a honey colour when hit by the sun and emits endless colours depending on the time of day.

balcone, con finestra con sirene dettaglio sirena

The senses tell the story of the church of Santa Maria del Carmelo

The city of museums

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

A hall for the feasts

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Giovanni Evangelista

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

A square as the heart of the city

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

The Baroque town by the sea

The Staircase of Angels

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giovanni Battista

Feast days

The colours of the cathedral

The Burgos crucifix

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

One city, three sites

Freedom of worship and the role of the Catholic Church in the diffusion of Baroque

A new site for a new church

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

A miniature city

The role of the religious orders in rebuilding the Val di Noto

A symbol for the town

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

One city, two sites

The wall comes to life

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

A museum to save a tradition

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

Discovering the mother church

Norman apses

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

Some masterpieces

The senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

A Nobel Prize in Modica

New roads for Catania

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

From International Gothic to present day

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

From the contrast of the exterior to the internal jubilation of colours

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

The façade used as a puppet theatre

A small room with a golden entrance

The disastrous earthquake

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

The senses tell the Mother Church of San Nicolò and of the Santissimo Salvatore

Church of San Giuliano (St. Julian) on Via dei Crociferi: reconstruction

The Maiolica of the staircase

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

A triumph of colour

A majestic and luminous church

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

A half-Baroque church

A colourful floor

Many owners, one palace

The church of Carmine

An eagle-shaped city

Connections with other UNESCO sites

The internal colours

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

St. Sebastian, so much work!

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

A prominent church

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

The two churches

The theatre of taste

Between white and black

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

A feast only for Scicli

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

The senses tell the story of the Badia di Sant’Agata

The chocolate of Modica

The interior and its masterpieces

Prominent façade

Some prestigious works

A new site for a new city

Modica, a city with ancient origins

Wonderful quick decorations

Searching for colour

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Giuliano ai Crociferi

Feasting in Palazzolo

A city in colour

A long reconstruction

Limestone, the colour of harmony

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

Two illustrious patron saints

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

A talking palace

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

The senses tell the story of the staircase of Santa Maria del Monte

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

The senses tell the Benedictine Monastery and San NicoIò l’Arena