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 hall for the feasts

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

A new site for a new church

A new site for a new city

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

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

The wall comes to life

St. Sebastian, so much work!

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

Limestone, the colour of harmony

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

An eagle-shaped city

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

One city, three sites

A small room with a golden entrance

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

A symbol for the town

A Nobel Prize in Modica

A talking palace

The city of museums

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

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 senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

The chocolate of Modica

From International Gothic to present day

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

The two churches

Many owners, one palace

Wonderful quick decorations

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

The colours of the cathedral

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

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

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

The disastrous earthquake

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

The interior and its masterpieces

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

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

Searching for colour

A square as the heart of the city

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

A feast only for Scicli

Modica, a city with ancient origins

The Staircase of Angels

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

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

A triumph of colour

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

The Maiolica of the staircase

Two illustrious patron saints

Feast days

Some masterpieces

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

A long reconstruction

The internal colours

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

A half-Baroque church

Norman apses

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

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

A museum to save a tradition

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

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

The Burgos crucifix

Some prestigious works

One city, two sites

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

The façade used as a puppet theatre

A city in colour

Feasting in Palazzolo

A majestic and luminous church

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

A miniature city

The theatre of taste

The Baroque town by the sea

New roads for Catania

Between white and black

The church of Carmine

The senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation

Prominent façade

A prominent church

A colourful floor

Discovering the mother church

Connections with other UNESCO sites

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

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci