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

A majestic and luminous church

A Nobel Prize in Modica

A hall for the feasts

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

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

Discovering the mother church

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

Many owners, one palace

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

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

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

A feast only for Scicli

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

The internal colours

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

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

A prominent church

A museum to save a tradition

The two churches

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

One city, three sites

The senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation

From International Gothic to present day

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

A new site for a new church

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

The interior and its masterpieces

Some prestigious works

The Baroque town by the sea

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

The city of museums

Searching for colour

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

The Burgos crucifix

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

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

The wall comes to life

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

The colours of the cathedral

Two illustrious patron saints

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

A new site for a new city

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

The chocolate of Modica

Limestone, the colour of harmony

Some masterpieces

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

A symbol for the town

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

A small room with a golden entrance

Connections with other UNESCO sites

A colourful floor

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

A long reconstruction

Feast days

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

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

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

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

A talking palace

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

A half-Baroque church

Prominent façade

Feasting in Palazzolo

A triumph of colour

St. Sebastian, so much work!

One city, two sites

Wonderful quick decorations

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

The Staircase of Angels

The theatre of taste

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

Between white and black

A city in colour

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

A square as the heart of the city

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

Modica, a city with ancient origins

New roads for Catania

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

Norman apses

The Maiolica of the staircase

The façade used as a puppet theatre

An eagle-shaped city

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

The church of Carmine

A miniature city

The disastrous earthquake