Noto

Limestone, the colour of harmony

The harmonious architecture and homogeneity of Noto stone create such a scenic balance that the city looks as though it were built in one night.
Noto was actually built over half a century by various architects and craftspeople. Noto omogeneita e l'armonia archtettureThe work of the architect Angelo Italia was fundamental: he organised the city space and created splendid scenographic effects, transforming squares and streets into stages.
No less important was Rosario Gagliardi .
His constant presence in Noto allowed him to closely monitor all of his construction sites and to teach and prepare new, young architects. Upon his death, his works were completed by one of his students, Vincenzo Sinatra , who never forgot the expert’s teachings.
None of this could have been achieved without good basic organisation.
Thanks to Baron Giuseppe Asmundo, the land for constructing the new buildings was allocated fairly and the height of the buildings was also clearly defined. In this way, the buildings were all the same, creating a harmonious and homogeneous landscape.
The choice of white limestone , was also important.This local stone, when lit up by the sun, takes on a golden yellow colour reminiscent of honey.Its appearance has remained unchanged over the centuries; minimal interventions were made and you can still admire it in all its beauty and grace today.The effect is a landscape wrapped in an ethereal light.

Prominent façade

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

Some prestigious works

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

The disastrous earthquake

One city, two sites

Some masterpieces

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

The Burgos crucifix

New roads for Catania

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

A symbol for the town

Limestone, the colour of harmony

A city in colour

The chocolate of Modica

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

The two churches

The internal colours

Searching for colour

The theatre of taste

The church of Carmine

A colourful floor

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

A majestic and luminous church

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

Feasting in Palazzolo

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

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

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

St. Sebastian, so much work!

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

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

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

A museum to save a tradition

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

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

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

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

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

A square as the heart of the city

A miniature city

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

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

Feast days

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

Norman apses

A small room with a golden entrance

A long reconstruction

A talking palace

A new site for a new city

Connections with other UNESCO sites

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

An eagle-shaped city

The façade used as a puppet theatre

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

The interior and its masterpieces

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

A half-Baroque church

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

A triumph of colour

A hall for the feasts

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

The Staircase of Angels

The Maiolica of the staircase

A new site for a new church

From International Gothic to present day

One city, three sites

Two illustrious patron saints

Modica, a city with ancient origins

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

The city of museums

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

Between white and black

Wonderful quick decorations

A prominent church

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

The senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

The Baroque town by the sea

A Nobel Prize in Modica

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

Discovering the mother church

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

The wall comes to life

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

The colours of the cathedral

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

Many owners, one palace

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

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

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

A feast only for Scicli