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

An eagle-shaped city

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

A talking palace

The Burgos crucifix

A symbol for the town

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

A square as the heart of the city

The disastrous earthquake

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

The two churches

A half-Baroque church

New roads for Catania

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

Norman apses

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

From International Gothic to present day

A prominent church

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

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

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

A long reconstruction

The theatre of taste

A new site for a new church

Feast days

Some prestigious works

One city, three sites

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

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

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

The Baroque town by the sea

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

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

Between white and black

Connections with other UNESCO sites

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

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

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

A feast only for Scicli

A city in colour

St. Sebastian, so much work!

Discovering the mother church

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

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

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

The internal colours

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

The Maiolica of the staircase

The interior and its masterpieces

Some masterpieces

The chocolate of Modica

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

Wonderful quick decorations

Prominent façade

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

Many owners, one palace

A hall for the feasts

The colours of the cathedral

The Staircase of Angels

A museum to save a tradition

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

A majestic and luminous church

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

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

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

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

A triumph of colour

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

A colourful floor

A miniature city

The senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation

The wall comes to life

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

The city of museums

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

Searching for colour

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

The façade used as a puppet theatre

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

Two illustrious patron saints

A new site for a new city

A Nobel Prize in Modica

Limestone, the colour of harmony

One city, two sites

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

A small room with a golden entrance

Modica, a city with ancient origins

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

The church of Carmine

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

Feasting in Palazzolo