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.

Discovering the mother church

A hall for the feasts

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

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

The Maiolica of the staircase

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

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

A prominent church

A square as the heart of the city

Many owners, one palace

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

The interior and its masterpieces

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

Two illustrious patron saints

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

A half-Baroque church

An eagle-shaped city

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

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

The disastrous earthquake

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

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

A museum to save a tradition

A feast only for Scicli

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

The theatre of taste

A new site for a new city

A city in colour

The Baroque town by the sea

Searching for colour

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

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

A symbol for the town

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

A new site for a new church

Some masterpieces

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

From International Gothic to present day

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

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

A long reconstruction

A colourful floor

The internal colours

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

A talking palace

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

The colours of the cathedral

A small room with a golden entrance

The Burgos crucifix

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

Limestone, the colour of harmony

A Nobel Prize in Modica

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

The church of Carmine

St. Sebastian, so much work!

A triumph of colour

Norman apses

The Staircase of Angels

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

The two churches

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

Modica, a city with ancient origins

The wall comes to life

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

A miniature city

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

Prominent façade

The city of museums

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

Some prestigious works

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

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

The façade used as a puppet theatre

Feasting in Palazzolo

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

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

Feast days

Connections with other UNESCO sites

One city, two sites

One city, three sites

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

The chocolate of Modica

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

Wonderful quick decorations

Between white and black

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

A majestic and luminous church

New roads for Catania

The senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library