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

The internal colours

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

Discovering the mother church

A city in colour

Norman apses

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

The interior and its masterpieces

Wonderful quick decorations

Feasting in Palazzolo

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

The Baroque town by the sea

A half-Baroque church

Feast days

A talking palace

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

Connections with other UNESCO sites

A feast only for Scicli

A new site for a new city

The senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation

The Maiolica of the staircase

St. Sebastian, so much work!

A long reconstruction

One city, two sites

A hall for the feasts

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

Prominent façade

The Staircase of Angels

The two churches

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

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

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

A museum to save a tradition

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

The façade used as a puppet theatre

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

Between white and black

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

Searching for colour

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

The disastrous earthquake

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

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

Limestone, the colour of harmony

A triumph of colour

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

A colourful floor

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

A small room with a golden entrance

A prominent church

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

A Nobel Prize in Modica

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

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

The colours of the cathedral

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

The Burgos crucifix

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

Some masterpieces

A new site for a new church

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

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

One city, three sites

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

A square as the heart of the city

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

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

The chocolate of Modica

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

Modica, a city with ancient origins

A miniature city

From International Gothic to present day

Many owners, one palace

Two illustrious patron saints

A majestic and luminous church

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

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

New roads for Catania

The city of museums

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

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

The theatre of taste

A symbol for the town

The church of Carmine

An eagle-shaped city

The wall comes to life

Some prestigious works

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers