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

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

Prominent façade

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

Norman apses

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

Connections with other UNESCO sites

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

A square as the heart of the city

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

Modica, a city with ancient origins

A half-Baroque church

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

Some prestigious works

One city, three sites

A miniature city

The disastrous earthquake

Feast days

An eagle-shaped city

Some masterpieces

A hall for the feasts

The Staircase of Angels

The theatre of taste

Discovering the mother church

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

A Nobel Prize in Modica

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

Many owners, one palace

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

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

A talking palace

The interior and its masterpieces

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

A small room with a golden entrance

The Burgos crucifix

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

The internal colours

New roads for Catania

A city in colour

A prominent church

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

The senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

The church of Carmine

The city of museums

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

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

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

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

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

A colourful floor

Searching for colour

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

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

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

The façade used as a puppet theatre

The two churches

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

A museum to save a tradition

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

The wall comes to life

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

St. Sebastian, so much work!

A symbol for the town

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

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

The Maiolica of the staircase

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

One city, two sites

A feast only for Scicli

The Baroque town by the sea

From International Gothic to present day

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

Two illustrious patron saints

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

A new site for a new city

Feasting in Palazzolo

Limestone, the colour of harmony

A long reconstruction

The chocolate of Modica

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

Between white and black

A triumph of colour

Wonderful quick decorations

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

The colours of the cathedral

A majestic and luminous church

A new site for a new church

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe