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.

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

A colourful floor

An eagle-shaped city

Connections with other UNESCO sites

A museum to save a tradition

Searching for colour

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

Between white and black

Many owners, one palace

A hall for the feasts

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

A half-Baroque church

The internal colours

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

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

One city, three sites

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

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

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

Wonderful quick decorations

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

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

The city of museums

The church of Carmine

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

A new site for a new church

St. Sebastian, so much work!

Prominent façade

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

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

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

The two churches

The disastrous earthquake

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

A new site for a new city

From International Gothic to present day

The Baroque town by the sea

Feasting in Palazzolo

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

The Staircase of Angels

Some masterpieces

A long reconstruction

The colours of the cathedral

A talking palace

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

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

A miniature city

One city, two sites

The Maiolica of the staircase

The Burgos crucifix

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

The interior and its masterpieces

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

Modica, a city with ancient origins

The wall comes to life

A prominent church

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

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

Some prestigious works

A majestic and luminous church

Two illustrious patron saints

The chocolate of Modica

Norman apses

A feast only for Scicli

A Nobel Prize in Modica

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

A symbol for the town

Feast days

The theatre of taste

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

The senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation

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

The façade used as a puppet theatre

New roads for Catania

A triumph of colour

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

A square as the heart of the city

A city in colour

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

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

Limestone, the colour of harmony

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

Discovering the mother church

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

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

A small room with a golden entrance

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours