Noto

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

Corbels are one of the most characteristic elements of the palaces of the Val di Noto. They make the façades of the noble buildings unique and animated. Carefully designed and sculpted by the best artisans, the corbels of Palazzo Nicolaci liven up the street that shares the same name.
Each one was created according to a precise design, “the virtues of the Nicolaci”. You can see winged horses with their front legs reaching out to freedom, and winged figures looking to the future.
The central door is followed by sirens, symbols of spirituality, and the balcony of chimeras , monstrous mythological creatures with a lion’s face, symbols of power.
At the beginning and end there are two large corbels dedicated to the Nicolaci family, who went from being simple merchants to barons then princes, all of which is depicted by the metaphor of a child who grows up and becomes an adult.
It is a symbolic building of Baroque architecture and the political and economic power achieved by the family.
sirena balcone chimera balcone lateralmente

A square as the heart of the city

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

The disastrous earthquake

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

Some masterpieces

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

Two illustrious patron saints

The city of museums

A miniature city

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

Prominent façade

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

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

A prominent church

Some prestigious works

The colours of the cathedral

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

Discovering the mother church

Wonderful quick decorations

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

A hall for the feasts

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

An eagle-shaped city

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

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

The chocolate of Modica

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

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

The wall comes to life

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

Between white and black

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

New roads for Catania

The Maiolica of the staircase

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

Norman apses

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

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

Connections with other UNESCO sites

A new site for a new church

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

Searching for colour

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

The theatre of taste

A small room with a golden entrance

The senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation

A city in colour

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

One city, two sites

The interior and its masterpieces

Feast days

A symbol for the town

The two churches

One city, three sites

A half-Baroque church

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

Feasting in Palazzolo

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

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

From International Gothic to present day

The Baroque town by the sea

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

A feast only for Scicli

A long reconstruction

The internal colours

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

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

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

The façade used as a puppet theatre

A triumph of colour

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

The Burgos crucifix

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

A Nobel Prize in Modica

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

Many owners, one palace

A museum to save a tradition

A majestic and luminous church

A talking palace

St. Sebastian, so much work!

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

A colourful floor

The Staircase of Angels

The church of Carmine

Modica, a city with ancient origins

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

A new site for a new city

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

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

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

Limestone, the colour of harmony