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).

A majestic and luminous church

A feast only for Scicli

A half-Baroque church

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

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

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

One city, two sites

A symbol for the town

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

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

New roads for Catania

Connections with other UNESCO sites

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

A new site for a new city

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

A museum to save a tradition

The two churches

The wall comes to life

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

The Baroque town by the sea

The interior and its masterpieces

Some prestigious works

Searching for colour

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

A new site for a new church

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

Discovering the mother church

Some masterpieces

An eagle-shaped city

The church of Carmine

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

The façade used as a puppet theatre

Limestone, the colour of harmony

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

A miniature city

The Burgos crucifix

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

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

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

The internal colours

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

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

Two illustrious patron saints

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

A triumph of colour

One city, three sites

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

From International Gothic to present day

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

Norman apses

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

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

The Staircase of Angels

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

The senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation

Between white and black

Wonderful quick decorations

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

A prominent church

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

The disastrous earthquake

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

Feasting in Palazzolo

A city in colour

The chocolate of Modica

A hall for the feasts

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

Feast days

A long reconstruction

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

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

The city of museums

Modica, a city with ancient origins

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

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

A small room with a golden entrance

A talking palace

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

St. Sebastian, so much work!

The theatre of taste

The colours of the cathedral

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

A square as the heart of the city

A Nobel Prize in Modica

Prominent façade

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

A colourful floor

The Maiolica of the staircase

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

Many owners, one palace