Noto

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

The city was rebuilt in the aftermath of the tragic earthquake, and when the significant powers, clergy and aristocracy asked for their palaces to be rebuilt, it was the Baron Asmundo who divided the land perfectly.
Since the heart of the city in the lower area was the Cathedral, that was where the new palaces were built.Palazzo Nicolaci salendo via Nicolaci verso la chiesa To the right of the church are the religious buildings, the Archbishop’s Palace and the monastery of the Holy Saviour; on the land to the left the residences of the most influential aristocratic families in Noto were built, Palazzo Landolina and Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata.
The latter was built between 1720 and 1750 by Don Giacomo Nicolaci , on the present day Via Corrado Nicolaci.
The question of who the architect was has never been resolved; there are many theories and few certainties. However, it remains one of the most interesting and surprising buildings in Noto for the exuberant corbels that support the balconies of the façade and the round-bottomed wrought iron railings.

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

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

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

Feasting in Palazzolo

A Nobel Prize in Modica

Limestone, the colour of harmony

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

The Baroque town by the sea

A hall for the feasts

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

A symbol for the town

A feast only for Scicli

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

A colourful floor

The Staircase of Angels

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

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

A triumph of colour

Searching for colour

Wonderful quick decorations

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

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

From International Gothic to present day

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

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

Prominent façade

St. Sebastian, so much work!

The theatre of taste

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

Some prestigious works

The Maiolica of the staircase

The interior and its masterpieces

The Burgos crucifix

A majestic and luminous church

A talking palace

The colours of the cathedral

The façade used as a puppet theatre

One city, three sites

The city of museums

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

The disastrous earthquake

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

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

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

Feast days

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

The church of Carmine

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

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

The internal colours

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

The wall comes to life

Many owners, one palace

A miniature city

Norman apses

Connections with other UNESCO sites

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

A prominent church

One city, two sites

A new site for a new church

Between white and black

Modica, a city with ancient origins

A museum to save a tradition

Some masterpieces

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

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

A square as the heart of the city

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

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

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

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

A new site for a new city

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

Two illustrious patron saints

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

A city in colour

The senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation

An eagle-shaped city

The chocolate of Modica

New roads for Catania

Discovering the mother church

The two churches

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

A small room with a golden entrance

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

A half-Baroque church

A long reconstruction