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 Santa Chiara

A long reconstruction

New roads for Catania

A prominent church

The Burgos crucifix

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

The façade used as a puppet theatre

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

One city, two sites

The interior and its masterpieces

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

A colourful floor

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

The internal colours

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

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

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

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

The church of Carmine

The disastrous earthquake

The Maiolica of the staircase

Some prestigious works

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

The chocolate of Modica

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

A half-Baroque church

The theatre of taste

The city of museums

Feast days

A city in colour

The two churches

Feasting in Palazzolo

The colours of the cathedral

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

Discovering the mother church

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

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

A talking palace

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

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

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

Searching for colour

A Nobel Prize in Modica

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

From International Gothic to present day

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

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

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 Benedetto

One city, three sites

A majestic and luminous church

A new site for a new church

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

Between white and black

The wall comes to life

A triumph of colour

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

Some masterpieces

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

Wonderful quick decorations

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

Many owners, one palace

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

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

An eagle-shaped city

A symbol for the town

The Staircase of Angels

St. Sebastian, so much work!

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

A new site for a new city

A museum to save a tradition

A miniature city

A feast only for Scicli

The Baroque town by the sea

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

Prominent façade

A hall for the feasts

A small room with a golden entrance

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

Limestone, the colour of harmony

Two illustrious patron saints

Connections with other UNESCO sites

A square as the heart of the city

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

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

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

Modica, a city with ancient origins

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

Norman apses