Noto

A new site for a new city

The beautiful city of Noto was the result of a significant reconstruction that took place following the tragic earthquake of 1693. The city was completely destroyed. What to do next? Rebuild in the same location or choose a new site? The answer was late in coming and it took years before an agreement was reached! The   Duke of Camastra resolved the debate, decreeing the reconstruction of Noto in a new site on the Meti hill. But those who thought that work could finally begin were wrong! A new debate hindered reconstruction: was it to be built on the plateau, or in the valley up the slopes of the Meti hill? In this case the viceroy Cardinal Giudice intervened and everyone agreed: the new city of Noto could be rebuilt in both areas.
The new road layout was entrusted to the architect Angelo Italia .

via Vittorio EmanueleThe project involved the construction of three main roads that connected the upper and lower city, and a long avenue with large and illustrious palaces overlooking beautiful scenic squares.
The upper part was inhabited by the poorest citizens and the labourers who worked on the building sites.
The valley area, on the other hand, was the new residential district of rich aristocrats and religious orders.
Corso Vittorio Emanuele was the ideal place to build the noble palaces and religious buildings, churches and monasteries.

The wall comes to life

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

Discovering the mother church

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

A Nobel Prize in Modica

Many owners, one palace

A half-Baroque church

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

A feast only for Scicli

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

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

Prominent façade

A miniature city

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

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

Modica, a city with ancient origins

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

A long reconstruction

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

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

The Baroque town by the sea

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

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

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

A triumph of colour

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

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

A hall for the feasts

Searching for colour

A city in colour

The senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation

Some prestigious works

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

Some masterpieces

The Staircase of Angels

The Maiolica of the staircase

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

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

Between white and black

A new site for a new church

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

The two churches

One city, two sites

A symbol for the town

A square as the heart of the city

St. Sebastian, so much work!

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

Limestone, the colour of harmony

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

The chocolate of Modica

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

The city of museums

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

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

The theatre of taste

A colourful floor

Two illustrious patron saints

The colours of the cathedral

A prominent church

A new site for a new city

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

A museum to save a tradition

An eagle-shaped city

Feasting in Palazzolo

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

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

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

A talking palace

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

Connections with other UNESCO sites

Feast days

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

The Burgos crucifix

A small room with a golden entrance

The interior and its masterpieces

The church of Carmine

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

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

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

From International Gothic to present day

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

A majestic and luminous church

The disastrous earthquake

The internal colours

The façade used as a puppet theatre

New roads for Catania

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

One city, three sites

Norman apses

Wonderful quick decorations