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.

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

Prominent façade

A talking palace

A prominent church

Feast days

Limestone, the colour of harmony

The disastrous earthquake

Connections with other UNESCO sites

Searching for colour

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

A museum to save a tradition

Discovering the mother church

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

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

Modica, a city with ancient origins

A miniature city

The city of museums

The façade used as a puppet theatre

A new site for a new church

Many owners, one palace

The two churches

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

A new site for a new city

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

Some masterpieces

Wonderful quick decorations

The church of Carmine

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

St. Sebastian, so much work!

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

One city, three sites

The chocolate of Modica

The colours of the cathedral

The theatre of taste

A half-Baroque church

Some prestigious works

A city in colour

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

The senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

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

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

A colourful floor

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

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

The Maiolica of the staircase

Between white and black

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

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

A long reconstruction

A triumph of colour

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

A feast only for Scicli

Norman apses

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

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

A symbol for the town

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

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

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

One city, two sites

A hall for the feasts

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

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

The wall comes to life

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

The Baroque town by the sea

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

A Nobel Prize in Modica

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

The Burgos crucifix

From International Gothic to present day

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

A square as the heart of the city

A small room with a golden entrance

Feasting in Palazzolo

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

Two illustrious patron saints

The internal colours

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

An eagle-shaped city

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

A majestic and luminous church

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

New roads for Catania

The interior and its masterpieces

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

The Staircase of Angels