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

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

The disastrous earthquake

Feasting in Palazzolo

New roads for Catania

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

Modica, a city with ancient origins

A museum to save a tradition

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

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

The chocolate of Modica

The interior and its masterpieces

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

Some prestigious works

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

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

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

One city, two sites

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

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

Feast days

A small room with a golden entrance

Some masterpieces

Norman apses

A new site for a new church

A miniature city

The Burgos crucifix

The Maiolica of the staircase

Between white and black

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

The two churches

Limestone, the colour of harmony

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

Wonderful quick decorations

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

The internal colours

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

The Staircase of Angels

Searching for colour

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

A long reconstruction

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

A hall for the feasts

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

The church of Carmine

The theatre of taste

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

The wall comes to life

The colours of the cathedral

A new site for a new city

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

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

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

The Baroque town by the sea

A Nobel Prize in Modica

An eagle-shaped city

Connections with other UNESCO sites

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

Many owners, one palace

A majestic and luminous church

The façade used as a puppet theatre

Discovering the mother church

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 Benedetto

A talking palace

One city, three sites

A triumph of colour

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

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

A city in colour

A colourful floor

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

The senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation

A feast only for Scicli

A prominent church

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

A half-Baroque church

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

A symbol for the town

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

St. Sebastian, so much work!

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

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

A square as the heart of the city

The city of museums

From International Gothic to present day

Two illustrious patron saints

Prominent façade