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.

Wonderful quick decorations

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

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

New roads for Catania

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

The Maiolica of the staircase

The internal colours

A city in colour

Searching for colour

Norman apses

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

A hall for the feasts

A feast only for Scicli

The city of museums

A symbol for the town

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

A long reconstruction

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

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

A new site for a new church

A miniature city

A triumph of colour

Some prestigious works

One city, three sites

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

Many owners, one palace

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

Discovering the mother church

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

The theatre of taste

The Staircase of Angels

The disastrous earthquake

Two illustrious patron saints

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

Modica, a city with ancient origins

The church of Carmine

The Burgos crucifix

The interior and its masterpieces

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

The façade used as a puppet theatre

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

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

A talking palace

Connections with other UNESCO sites

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

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

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

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

The colours of the cathedral

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

The senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation

The wall comes to life

Prominent façade

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

Between white and black

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

A square as the heart of the city

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

A prominent church

Feasting in Palazzolo

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

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

A small room with a golden entrance

The Baroque town by the sea

Feast days

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

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

From International Gothic to present day

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

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

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

A colourful floor

Some masterpieces

A new site for a new city

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

An eagle-shaped city

One city, two sites

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

The chocolate of Modica

St. Sebastian, so much work!

A majestic and luminous church

A museum to save a tradition

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

Limestone, the colour of harmony

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

The two churches

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

A Nobel Prize in Modica

A half-Baroque church