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

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

From International Gothic to present day

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

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

Limestone, the colour of harmony

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

Norman apses

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

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

A hall for the feasts

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

A museum to save a tradition

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

A miniature city

A new site for a new city

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

Feasting in Palazzolo

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

The colours of the cathedral

The Burgos crucifix

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

A long reconstruction

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

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

One city, three sites

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

Wonderful quick decorations

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

The internal colours

Many owners, one palace

A prominent church

Some prestigious works

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

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

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

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

The interior and its masterpieces

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

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

St. Sebastian, so much work!

A new site for a new church

A half-Baroque church

Some masterpieces

Searching for colour

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

Between white and black

Two illustrious patron saints

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

A Nobel Prize in Modica

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

The Maiolica of the staircase

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

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

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

The senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

One city, two sites

A colourful floor

The wall comes to life

The city of museums

The two churches

The Baroque town by the sea

New roads for Catania

The disastrous earthquake

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

The theatre of taste

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

The church of Carmine

Connections with other UNESCO sites

A symbol for the town

A feast only for Scicli

The Staircase of Angels

A small room with a golden entrance

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

Discovering the mother church

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

Prominent façade

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

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

The chocolate of Modica

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

Feast days

A square as the heart of the city

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

Modica, a city with ancient origins

A majestic and luminous church

The façade used as a puppet theatre

An eagle-shaped city

A talking palace

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

A triumph of colour

A city in colour