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

A majestic and luminous church

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

A Nobel Prize in Modica

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

A miniature city

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

A prominent church

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

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

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

Wonderful quick decorations

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

Feasting in Palazzolo

The chocolate of Modica

The interior and its masterpieces

A talking palace

Many owners, one palace

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

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

A triumph of colour

A city in colour

An eagle-shaped city

Two illustrious patron saints

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

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

A square as the heart of the city

The Staircase of Angels

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

One city, three sites

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

The internal colours

A symbol for the town

A hall for the feasts

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

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

A new site for a new city

A museum to save a tradition

New roads for Catania

Connections with other UNESCO sites

A feast only for Scicli

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

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

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

A long reconstruction

One city, two sites

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

A colourful floor

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

The disastrous earthquake

The two churches

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

A new site for a new church

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

Between white and black

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

The wall comes to life

The Maiolica of the staircase

The colours of the cathedral

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

Feast days

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

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

Modica, a city with ancient origins

The façade used as a puppet theatre

Discovering the mother church

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

Searching for colour

The senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

Norman apses

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

Some prestigious works

The church of Carmine

The Baroque town by the sea

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

The theatre of taste

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

From International Gothic to present day

Prominent façade

Limestone, the colour of harmony

Some masterpieces

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

A half-Baroque church

A small room with a golden entrance

The city of museums

St. Sebastian, so much work!

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

The Burgos crucifix