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).

Modica, a city with ancient origins

Two illustrious patron saints

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

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

Between white and black

The Baroque town by the sea

A hall for the feasts

A new site for a new city

Norman apses

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

The chocolate of Modica

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

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

A square as the heart of the city

Some masterpieces

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

A prominent church

The façade used as a puppet theatre

The senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

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

A small room with a golden entrance

Some prestigious works

The Staircase of Angels

Wonderful quick decorations

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

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

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

One city, three sites

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

St. Sebastian, so much work!

The colours of the cathedral

The Maiolica of the staircase

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

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

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

The Burgos crucifix

Feast days

From International Gothic to present day

Discovering the mother church

A miniature city

A feast only for Scicli

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

New roads for Catania

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

One city, two sites

The disastrous earthquake

A symbol for the town

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

A majestic and luminous church

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

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

The two churches

A Nobel Prize in Modica

Limestone, the colour of harmony

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

Many owners, one palace

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

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

A triumph of colour

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

Feasting in Palazzolo

The theatre of taste

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

A new site for a new church

The wall comes to life

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

The internal colours

A long reconstruction

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

The church of Carmine

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

A museum to save a tradition

The city of museums

Connections with other UNESCO sites

Searching for colour

A half-Baroque church

An eagle-shaped city

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

A city in colour

A talking palace

A colourful floor

Prominent façade

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

The interior and its masterpieces

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