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).

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

The disastrous earthquake

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

A hall for the feasts

Some masterpieces

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

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

A square as the heart of the city

The senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation

One city, two sites

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

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

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

A talking palace

Some prestigious works

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

Searching for colour

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

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

A museum to save a tradition

A miniature city

New roads for Catania

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

The theatre of taste

The façade used as a puppet theatre

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

The colours of the cathedral

A feast only for Scicli

A half-Baroque church

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

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

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

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

Norman apses

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

A Nobel Prize in Modica

Limestone, the colour of harmony

Between white and black

Many owners, one palace

A majestic and luminous church

The two churches

St. Sebastian, so much work!

From International Gothic to present day

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

The church of Carmine

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

The Staircase of Angels

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

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

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

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

The Burgos crucifix

The city of museums

Connections with other UNESCO sites

A prominent church

The Baroque town by the sea

The internal colours

A colourful floor

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

A triumph of colour

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

Prominent façade

Feasting in Palazzolo

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

The chocolate of Modica

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

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

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

The wall comes to life

A new site for a new church

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

The interior and its masterpieces

Two illustrious patron saints

One city, three sites

Wonderful quick decorations

A small room with a golden entrance

Discovering the mother church

The Maiolica of the staircase

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

A new site for a new city

A symbol for the town

Feast days

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

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

A long reconstruction

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

An eagle-shaped city

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

Modica, a city with ancient origins

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

A city in colour