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.

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

A miniature city

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

A long reconstruction

From International Gothic to present day

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

The church of Carmine

The Maiolica of the staircase

St. Sebastian, so much work!

A museum to save a tradition

Prominent façade

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

Some prestigious works

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

Many owners, one palace

One city, three sites

A small room with a golden entrance

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

Norman apses

The two churches

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

A talking palace

A city in colour

One city, two sites

Two illustrious patron saints

The façade used as a puppet theatre

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

Connections with other UNESCO sites

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

A new site for a new church

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

The senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation

The wall comes to life

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

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

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

New roads for Catania

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

An eagle-shaped city

A half-Baroque church

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

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

The Staircase of Angels

Some masterpieces

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

Discovering the mother church

The theatre of taste

Searching for colour

A colourful floor

A triumph of colour

Feasting in Palazzolo

The city of museums

The Burgos crucifix

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

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

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

Feast days

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

Between white and black

Modica, a city with ancient origins

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

A square as the heart of the city

A symbol for the town

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

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

The Baroque town by the sea

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

A majestic and luminous church

The chocolate of Modica

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

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

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

A hall for the feasts

The interior and its masterpieces

The disastrous earthquake

A prominent church

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

A Nobel Prize in Modica

The internal colours

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

Wonderful quick decorations

Limestone, the colour of harmony

The colours of the cathedral

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

A feast only for Scicli

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

A new site for a new city