Noto

The façade used as a puppet theatre

Thanks to a recent restoration, Palazzo Nicolaci can be appreciated in all its original beauty and is one of the symbols of Sicilian Baroque art. It was the city’s noble residence of the Nicolaci family and has four storeys: the ground floor was used for stables and storing food; the first floor was the piano nobile (main floor) where the Baron lived; the rest of the family stayed on the upper floor, and the attic was for the servants. portale d’accesso con balconeThe entrance portal is framed by two columns and is surmounted by a large balcony.
The façade is a street theatre reminiscent of the theatre of Sicilian puppets because of the masks and characters carved into it.
Anyone passing through Via Corrado Nicolaci is in awe of the incredible corbels . Five for each balcony, they depict mythological figures including mermaids, sphinxes and horses. Each corbel is richly decorated, almost as though in fear of leaving even the smallest of spaces free.
Such attention to decoration can be found in the cornices around the windows; they feature plant elements, human faces and masks.
As for the material used, it is the typical stone of Noto which turns a honey colour when hit by the sun and emits endless colours depending on the time of day.

balcone, con finestra con sirene dettaglio sirena

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

A half-Baroque church

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

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

A miniature city

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

A new site for a new city

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

The internal colours

A square as the heart of the city

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

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

Limestone, the colour of harmony

A small room with a golden entrance

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

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

A Nobel Prize in Modica

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

The church of Carmine

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

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

New roads for Catania

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

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

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

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

A city in colour

A new site for a new church

A feast only for Scicli

Many owners, one palace

The wall comes to life

The interior and its masterpieces

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

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

Feast days

Feasting in Palazzolo

The two churches

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

A hall for the feasts

The city of museums

Norman apses

Searching for colour

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

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

One city, two sites

From International Gothic to present day

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

A symbol for the town

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

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

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

A talking palace

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

The Burgos crucifix

The Baroque town by the sea

Two illustrious patron saints

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

The disastrous earthquake

Discovering the mother church

The Staircase of Angels

Between white and black

Wonderful quick decorations

The theatre of taste

A prominent church

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

A colourful floor

Modica, a city with ancient origins

The chocolate of Modica

A triumph of colour

The senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

A long reconstruction

Some prestigious works

St. Sebastian, so much work!

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

One city, three sites

The Maiolica of the staircase

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

A museum to save a tradition

An eagle-shaped city

Some masterpieces

Connections with other UNESCO sites

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

The façade used as a puppet theatre

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

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

Prominent façade

The colours of the cathedral

A majestic and luminous church