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

Many owners, one palace

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

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

A square as the heart of the city

A long reconstruction

Limestone, the colour of harmony

A majestic and luminous church

A triumph of colour

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

The wall comes to life

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

A museum to save a tradition

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

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

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

The interior and its masterpieces

A city in colour

The Burgos crucifix

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

The Staircase of Angels

Feast days

The colours of the cathedral

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

The internal colours

From International Gothic to present day

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

The Baroque town by the sea

One city, two sites

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

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

A small room with a golden entrance

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

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

A prominent church

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

Between white and black

St. Sebastian, so much work!

Wonderful quick decorations

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

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

The senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation

Norman apses

Modica, a city with ancient origins

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

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

The façade used as a puppet theatre

Feasting in Palazzolo

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

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

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

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

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

The city of museums

A talking palace

A new site for a new city

New roads for Catania

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

An eagle-shaped city

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

A hall for the feasts

The Maiolica of the staircase

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

A feast only for Scicli

Prominent façade

The theatre of taste

One city, three sites

The disastrous earthquake

The chocolate of Modica

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

The two churches

Two illustrious patron saints

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

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

Some masterpieces

A Nobel Prize in Modica

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

A miniature city

A half-Baroque church

Discovering the mother church

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

Searching for colour

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

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

Connections with other UNESCO sites

Some prestigious works

A new site for a new church

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

A colourful floor

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

A symbol for the town

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

The church of Carmine