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

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

Feast days

The theatre of taste

A colourful floor

The city of museums

A prominent church

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

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

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

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

The two churches

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

A small room with a golden entrance

Some masterpieces

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

The Maiolica of the staircase

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

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

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

A symbol for the town

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

A new site for a new city

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

A long reconstruction

Norman apses

A museum to save a tradition

Modica, a city with ancient origins

Some prestigious works

Many owners, one palace

A new site for a new church

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

Wonderful quick decorations

A city in colour

Discovering the mother church

The colours of the cathedral

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

One city, two sites

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

A square as the heart of the city

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

A majestic and luminous church

A triumph of colour

A miniature city

A feast only for Scicli

Two illustrious patron saints

The disastrous earthquake

New roads for Catania

Connections with other UNESCO sites

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

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

The senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

The façade used as a puppet theatre

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

Feasting in Palazzolo

The Burgos crucifix

The internal colours

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

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

The wall comes to life

Between white and black

The Staircase of Angels

A talking palace

Prominent façade

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

Searching for colour

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

From International Gothic to present day

The church of Carmine

One city, three sites

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

A half-Baroque church

A hall for the feasts

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

An eagle-shaped city

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

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

St. Sebastian, so much work!

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

The chocolate of Modica

Limestone, the colour of harmony

A Nobel Prize in Modica

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

The Baroque town by the sea

The interior and its masterpieces

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

The Barresi-Branciforte lords