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 new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

Prominent façade

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

The Baroque town by the sea

The Staircase of Angels

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

A talking palace

Some masterpieces

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

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

The colours of the cathedral

Wonderful quick decorations

A miniature city

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

A square as the heart of the city

New roads for Catania

Discovering the mother church

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

A hall for the feasts

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

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

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

The interior and its masterpieces

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

Two illustrious patron saints

A long reconstruction

A museum to save a tradition

A majestic and luminous church

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

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

Feasting in Palazzolo

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

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

A colourful floor

The internal colours

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

Many owners, one palace

Searching for colour

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

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

A triumph of colour

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

A prominent church

From International Gothic to present day

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

Modica, a city with ancient origins

The disastrous earthquake

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

The wall comes to life

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

One city, three sites

Feast days

The theatre of taste

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

The church of Carmine

The chocolate of Modica

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

A new site for a new church

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

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

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

A small room with a golden entrance

The senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation

St. Sebastian, so much work!

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

The two churches

A symbol for the town

An eagle-shaped city

Limestone, the colour of harmony

The city of museums

Some prestigious works

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

Between white and black

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

A half-Baroque church

The Burgos crucifix

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

The Maiolica of the staircase

The façade used as a puppet theatre

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

A Nobel Prize in Modica

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

A city in colour

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

One city, two sites

Connections with other UNESCO sites

Norman apses

A feast only for Scicli

A new site for a new city