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 new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

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

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

A symbol for the town

The colours of the cathedral

Some prestigious works

Some masterpieces

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

A long reconstruction

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

A new site for a new church

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

The theatre of taste

Two illustrious patron saints

Feast days

Searching for colour

The chocolate of Modica

A triumph of colour

The interior and its masterpieces

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

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

A talking palace

The Burgos crucifix

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

A colourful floor

The city of museums

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

Between white and black

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

The Baroque town by the sea

A prominent church

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

The two churches

An eagle-shaped city

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

A city in colour

A miniature city

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

Modica, a city with ancient origins

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

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

The internal colours

Discovering the mother church

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

Many owners, one palace

A half-Baroque church

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

One city, two sites

A hall for the feasts

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

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

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

A small room with a golden entrance

St. Sebastian, so much work!

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

Connections with other UNESCO sites

Wonderful quick decorations

New roads for Catania

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

From International Gothic to present day

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

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

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

A Nobel Prize in Modica

The Maiolica of the staircase

A square as the heart of the city

The façade used as a puppet theatre

The wall comes to life

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

Limestone, the colour of harmony

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

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

A museum to save a tradition

The senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation

A new site for a new city

One city, three sites

Feasting in Palazzolo

The disastrous earthquake

Prominent façade

The Staircase of Angels

A majestic and luminous church

A feast only for Scicli

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

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

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

Norman apses

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

The church of Carmine