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 colourful floor

The internal colours

The theatre of taste

The Staircase of Angels

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

Norman apses

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

Prominent façade

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

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

The Burgos crucifix

Some masterpieces

Some prestigious works

The disastrous earthquake

A new site for a new city

A majestic and luminous church

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

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

A symbol for the town

A Nobel Prize in Modica

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

The Maiolica of the staircase

The chocolate of Modica

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

A feast only for Scicli

The wall comes to life

The two churches

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

A talking palace

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

A hall for the feasts

New roads for Catania

A prominent church

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

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

The façade used as a puppet theatre

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

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

Limestone, the colour of harmony

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

Between white and black

Feasting in Palazzolo

Many owners, one palace

A triumph of colour

A miniature city

Discovering the mother church

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

One city, two sites

A city in colour

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

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

Wonderful quick decorations

An eagle-shaped city

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

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

Modica, a city with ancient origins

The interior and its masterpieces

The Baroque town by the sea

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

The church of Carmine

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

A small room with a golden entrance

Searching for colour

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

St. Sebastian, so much work!

The colours of the cathedral

A long reconstruction

Feast days

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

A square as the heart of the city

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

Two illustrious patron saints

The senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation

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

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

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

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

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

One city, three sites

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

A half-Baroque church

From International Gothic to present day

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

A new site for a new church

Connections with other UNESCO sites

The city of museums

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

A museum to save a tradition