The bell tower was completed in 1815, but the third level and final chapel were never built. It was originally intended to be built joined to the church, but a decision was made to change its location. In fact, you can see the trace of what would have become the door to the bell tower. The origina...

The origins of the worship of Madonna della Stella (Our Lady of the Star) can be traced back to the historical period when some families of Lombard lords, with their settlers in tow, governed the territories of Militello. Militello is included in the authorisation certificate of Frederick II (1428...

The unmissable and important feasts in Noto during the summer season include the one dedicated to San Corrado (St. Conrad). Two processions are dedicated to the city's protector, one in February and another on the last Sunday in August. In the summer, the city celebrates the beatification that t...

Born in Siena in 1906, Cesare Brandi was one of the greatest specialists in Italian restoration. After graduating in Literature from the University of Florence, in 1932 he dedicated his first essay on contemporary art to Filippo De Pisis. In 1939, together with Giulio Carlo Argan, a famous art his...

At the beginning of the 17th century Francesco Branciforte and his wife Lady Joanna of Austria had an impressive library built next to their palace, containing thousands of volumes, artwork, world maps and other curious objects. It was destroyed by the earthquake of 1693 and traces of it were lost b...

Giancarlo De Carlo was born in Genoa in 1919 and died in Milan in 2005. He was an Italian academic, architect and urban planner. He was famous for Urbino's General Town Plan, and for involving the inhabitants in urban planning decisions as an opportunity for them to participate in the territory'...

The monastery's history is closely linked to its archaeological past and thanks especially to its location. Over the centuries, the monks assembled a highly valuable collection. Until a few decades ago it was set up in the five rooms connected to the library where the findings were divided into nat...

Rustication is a special arrangement given to stone blocks, which are arranged in rows staggered with the joints, so that the contact between the individual blocks is well defined. Diamond rustication takes its name from the shape of the individual blocks in the shape of a pyramidal prism....

The city of Noto Antica, known as Netum under Roman rule, was one of the main cultural, military and economic centres of south-eastern Sicily. Completely destroyed by the 1693 earthquake, it was surrounded by majestic walls, many of which are still intact, and the deep valleys of Mount Alveria....

In the eastern cloister, among the lush trees and shrubs, there is a small temple-shaped building with neo-Gothic lines. At the base there is a podium where three slim columns with small pendentives located between the corners of the four pointed arcades. The gaps between offer glimpses of colou...