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

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

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

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

The city of museums

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

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

Norman apses

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

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

Feasting in Palazzolo

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

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

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

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

Wonderful quick decorations

A hall for the feasts

Feast days

A prominent church

A symbol for the town

Connections with other UNESCO sites

St. Sebastian, so much work!

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

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

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

The Burgos crucifix

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

The Maiolica of the staircase

A museum to save a tradition

The Staircase of Angels

From International Gothic to present day

Some masterpieces

The interior and its masterpieces

A long reconstruction

Searching for colour

A Nobel Prize in Modica

A miniature city

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

Modica, a city with ancient origins

A majestic and luminous church

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

A feast only for Scicli

Between white and black

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

Limestone, the colour of harmony

The church of Carmine

Many owners, one palace

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

A colourful floor

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

A half-Baroque church

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

A new site for a new church

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

A triumph of colour

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

The two churches

Two illustrious patron saints

The disastrous earthquake

A talking palace

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

A square as the heart of the city

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

One city, three sites

Some prestigious works

A new site for a new city

The chocolate of Modica

New roads for Catania

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

The façade used as a puppet theatre

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

Discovering the mother church

A city in colour

The wall comes to life

The internal colours

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

A small room with a golden entrance

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

The theatre of taste

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

The Baroque town by the sea

Prominent façade

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

The senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation

An eagle-shaped city

The colours of the cathedral

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

One city, two sites