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

Two illustrious patron saints

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

The façade used as a puppet theatre

The interior and its masterpieces

The wall comes to life

A square as the heart of the city

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

From International Gothic to present day

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

The colours of the cathedral

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

The Baroque town by the sea

Discovering the mother church

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

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

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

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

Feast days

The city of museums

Some prestigious works

The church of Carmine

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

The Burgos crucifix

Norman apses

A majestic and luminous church

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

A new site for a new city

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

One city, two sites

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

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

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

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

New roads for Catania

A museum to save a tradition

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

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

A hall for the feasts

Modica, a city with ancient origins

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

Wonderful quick decorations

A city in colour

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

One city, three sites

Some masterpieces

The senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation

A half-Baroque church

The chocolate of Modica

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

The two churches

A symbol for the town

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

Connections with other UNESCO sites

Many owners, one palace

St. Sebastian, so much work!

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

The Staircase of Angels

The Maiolica of the staircase

Prominent façade

An eagle-shaped city

A triumph of colour

A miniature city

The theatre of taste

Feasting in Palazzolo

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

The internal colours

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

A Nobel Prize in Modica

A long reconstruction

The disastrous earthquake

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

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

Limestone, the colour of harmony

A colourful floor

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

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

Searching for colour

A new site for a new church

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

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

Between white and black

A talking palace

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

A feast only for Scicli

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

A prominent church

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

A small room with a golden entrance

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe