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 Staircase of Angels

From International Gothic to present day

A small room with a golden entrance

A prominent church

Feast days

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

The internal colours

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

A square as the heart of the city

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

St. Sebastian, so much work!

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

The Baroque town by the sea

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

The church of Carmine

The façade used as a puppet theatre

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

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

The disastrous earthquake

Prominent façade

A city in colour

A miniature city

The colours of the cathedral

An eagle-shaped city

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

The Maiolica of the staircase

A museum to save a tradition

A feast only for Scicli

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

One city, two sites

A new site for a new city

The Burgos crucifix

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

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

The interior and its masterpieces

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

A majestic and luminous church

The city of museums

Between white and black

One city, three sites

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

Some prestigious works

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

A half-Baroque church

Many owners, one palace

A talking palace

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

Feasting in Palazzolo

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

A Nobel Prize in Modica

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

The senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation

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

Some masterpieces

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

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

Two illustrious patron saints

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

A new site for a new church

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

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

Wonderful quick decorations

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

Searching for colour

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

Connections with other UNESCO sites

A triumph of colour

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

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

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

Norman apses

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

A hall for the feasts

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

Limestone, the colour of harmony

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

A symbol for the town

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

Modica, a city with ancient origins

A long reconstruction

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

The two churches

The wall comes to life

A colourful floor

The theatre of taste

The chocolate of Modica

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

New roads for Catania

Discovering the mother church

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

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