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 the story of the Church of San Benedetto

A majestic and luminous church

Connections with other UNESCO sites

The disastrous earthquake

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

A talking palace

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

The theatre of taste

The church of Carmine

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

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

Two illustrious patron saints

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

The two churches

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

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

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

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

An eagle-shaped city

A prominent church

A city in colour

A symbol for the town

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

Some prestigious works

Norman apses

A colourful floor

New roads for Catania

A small room with a golden entrance

A half-Baroque church

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

The internal colours

The Burgos crucifix

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

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

The chocolate of Modica

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

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

The interior and its masterpieces

A museum to save a tradition

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

The city of museums

One city, three sites

A new site for a new church

Discovering the mother church

St. Sebastian, so much work!

A long reconstruction

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

A feast only for Scicli

The façade used as a puppet theatre

A Nobel Prize in Modica

Wonderful quick decorations

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

The Staircase of Angels

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

Many owners, one palace

Limestone, the colour of harmony

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

Prominent façade

Between white and black

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

The colours of the cathedral

The wall comes to life

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

A triumph of colour

Some masterpieces

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

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

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

Modica, a city with ancient origins

Searching for colour

A hall for the feasts

The Baroque town by the sea

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

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

A miniature city

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

The Maiolica of the staircase

Feasting in Palazzolo

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

A new site for a new city

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

Feast days

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

From International Gothic to present day

A square as the heart of the city

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

The senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

One city, two sites