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.

A miniature city

A new site for a new church

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

Searching for colour

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

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

Connections with other UNESCO sites

Between white and black

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

A colourful floor

The disastrous earthquake

The Burgos crucifix

One city, two sites

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

A half-Baroque church

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

A city in colour

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

An eagle-shaped city

Some masterpieces

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

The church of Carmine

The façade used as a puppet theatre

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

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

A museum to save a tradition

Modica, a city with ancient origins

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

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

Discovering the mother church

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

Some prestigious works

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

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

The colours of the cathedral

A square as the heart of the city

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

A talking palace

Two illustrious patron saints

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

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

The Baroque town by the sea

The senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation

A long reconstruction

The internal colours

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

Many owners, one palace

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

The Staircase of Angels

From International Gothic to present day

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

The theatre of taste

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

The Maiolica of the staircase

A triumph of colour

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

The chocolate of Modica

The wall comes to life

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

Wonderful quick decorations

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

Norman apses

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

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

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

Feast days

A new site for a new city

Limestone, the colour of harmony

A prominent church

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

The city of museums

A hall for the feasts

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

The interior and its masterpieces

Prominent façade

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

A majestic and luminous church

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

One city, three sites

The two churches

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

A symbol for the town

Feasting in Palazzolo

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

A Nobel Prize in Modica

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

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

A feast only for Scicli

New roads for Catania

St. Sebastian, so much work!

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

A small room with a golden entrance