Noto

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

sight
A panorama over Noto

The terrace of Santa Chiara will take your breath away! Partly because of all the stairs you have to climb, but more so for the spectacular view.
The whole city of Noto is below you, where infinite shades of colours embellish the landscape.
The green of the trees and surrounding hills; the blue of the sea that shines brightly in the distance, illuminated by the sun like a carpet of diamonds; and the golden cathedral of San Nicolò whose façade and round dome can be seen. A show of lights and colours!vista dalla terrazza di Santa Chiara

touch
The warm stucco

The gilded stuccoes on the ceiling of Santa Chiara (St. Claire) shine in the sunlight.
To the touch they will always be warmer than any other cold marble statue or sculpture, which are unable to retain heat.
Like stucco, wood will also always be warmer than this precious and ice-cold stone.

hearing
A gentle song

The nuns’singing was remarkable.
During religious services the church was filled with sweet voices and gentle songs alternating with delicate prayers.
If you return to the 18th century in your mind you can still hear the engrossed nuns singing Gloria del Signore (Glory of the Lord).

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

A museum to save a tradition

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

Norman apses

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

A symbol for the town

The two churches

Wonderful quick decorations

The internal colours

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

A new site for a new church

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

The colours of the cathedral

A feast only for Scicli

New roads for Catania

The Burgos crucifix

The disastrous earthquake

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

Discovering the mother church

An eagle-shaped city

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

The façade used as a puppet theatre

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

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

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

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

The Staircase of Angels

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

A colourful floor

A city in colour

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

One city, three sites

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

A new site for a new city

A miniature city

Feasting in Palazzolo

The interior and its masterpieces

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

Connections with other UNESCO sites

A prominent church

Two illustrious patron saints

The Maiolica of the staircase

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

St. Sebastian, so much work!

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

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

A triumph of colour

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

Searching for colour

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

One city, two sites

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

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

Feast days

From International Gothic to present day

The city of museums

A square as the heart of the city

Some prestigious works

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

A Nobel Prize in Modica

Prominent façade

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

The wall comes to life

The Baroque town by the sea

Many owners, one palace

The church of Carmine

A long reconstruction

A talking palace

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

Modica, a city with ancient origins

A hall for the feasts

A majestic and luminous church

Some masterpieces

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

Limestone, the colour of harmony

A small room with a golden entrance

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

A half-Baroque church

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

The theatre of taste

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

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

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

Between white and black

The chocolate of Modica

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

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

The senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation