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.

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

A miniature city

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

A long reconstruction

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A prominent church

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

St. Sebastian, so much work!

A talking palace

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

New roads for Catania

Some masterpieces

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

The interior and its masterpieces

A feast only for Scicli

Discovering the mother church

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

Feast days

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

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

The Maiolica of the staircase

Searching for colour

Feasting in Palazzolo

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

Many owners, one palace

The theatre of taste

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

The two churches

The wall comes to life

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

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

Modica, a city with ancient origins

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

The façade used as a puppet theatre

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

An eagle-shaped city

Two illustrious patron saints

Norman apses

Prominent façade

The church of Carmine

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

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

A square as the heart of the city

A half-Baroque church

The Staircase of Angels

A Nobel Prize in Modica

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

A city in colour

From International Gothic to present day

The internal colours

A small room with a golden entrance

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

Wonderful quick decorations

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

The Baroque town by the sea

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

Limestone, the colour of harmony

Connections with other UNESCO sites

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

A museum to save a tradition

The Burgos crucifix

The disastrous earthquake

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

The city of museums

A colourful floor

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

One city, two sites

A hall for the feasts

A new site for a new church

The chocolate of Modica

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

A new site for a new city

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

A majestic and luminous church

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

A symbol for the town

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

The colours of the cathedral

Between white and black

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One city, three sites

Some prestigious works

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

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

A triumph of colour

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras