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

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

The church of Carmine

A talking palace

Between white and black

Modica, a city with ancient origins

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

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

Some prestigious works

A city in colour

The wall comes to life

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

A feast only for Scicli

St. Sebastian, so much work!

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

Searching for colour

Norman apses

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

The façade used as a puppet theatre

A square as the heart of the city

Feast days

The Baroque town by the sea

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

A triumph of colour

Feasting in Palazzolo

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

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

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

The colours of the cathedral

Connections with other UNESCO sites

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

The senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation

The theatre of taste

A colourful floor

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

A new site for a new church

A miniature city

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

The disastrous earthquake

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

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

New roads for Catania

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

The Burgos crucifix

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

Prominent façade

A half-Baroque church

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

One city, two sites

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

A museum to save a tradition

The city of museums

A new site for a new city

The two churches

From International Gothic to present day

A symbol for the town

The Maiolica of the staircase

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

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

Discovering the mother church

A long reconstruction

A small room with a golden entrance

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

Limestone, the colour of harmony

The chocolate of Modica

The internal colours

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

One city, three sites

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

Wonderful quick decorations

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

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

The interior and its masterpieces

Some masterpieces

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

A majestic and luminous church

Two illustrious patron saints

A hall for the feasts

The Staircase of Angels

An eagle-shaped city

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

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

Many owners, one palace

A prominent church

A Nobel Prize in Modica