Noto

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

sight
A panorama over Noto

The terrace of Santa Chiara will take your breath away! Partly because of all the stairs you have to climb, but more so for the spectacular view.
The whole city of Noto is below you, where infinite shades of colours embellish the landscape.
The green of the trees and surrounding hills; the blue of the sea that shines brightly in the distance, illuminated by the sun like a carpet of diamonds; and the golden cathedral of San Nicolò whose façade and round dome can be seen. A show of lights and colours!vista dalla terrazza di Santa Chiara

touch
The warm stucco

The gilded stuccoes on the ceiling of Santa Chiara (St. Claire) shine in the sunlight.
To the touch they will always be warmer than any other cold marble statue or sculpture, which are unable to retain heat.
Like stucco, wood will also always be warmer than this precious and ice-cold stone.

hearing
A gentle song

The nuns’singing was remarkable.
During religious services the church was filled with sweet voices and gentle songs alternating with delicate prayers.
If you return to the 18th century in your mind you can still hear the engrossed nuns singing Gloria del Signore (Glory of the Lord).

The two churches

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

The chocolate of Modica

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

The wall comes to life

A museum to save a tradition

One city, two sites

A half-Baroque church

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

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

A new site for a new church

A long reconstruction

Many owners, one palace

A square as the heart of the city

One city, three sites

The theatre of taste

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

The Maiolica of the staircase

Connections with other UNESCO sites

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

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

The façade used as a puppet theatre

A city in colour

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

Some prestigious works

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

A talking palace

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

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

The Burgos crucifix

Some masterpieces

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

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

The internal colours

A new site for a new city

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

Norman apses

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

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

Limestone, the colour of harmony

The senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation

Feast days

Two illustrious patron saints

A triumph of colour

A Nobel Prize in Modica

A majestic and luminous church

Modica, a city with ancient origins

The colours of the cathedral

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

The city of museums

A hall for the feasts

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

Discovering the mother church

Wonderful quick decorations

A colourful floor

Searching for colour

The Staircase of Angels

St. Sebastian, so much work!

A small room with a golden entrance

The church of Carmine

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

A prominent church

A symbol for the town

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

New roads for Catania

Feasting in Palazzolo

The disastrous earthquake

An eagle-shaped city

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

The interior and its masterpieces

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

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

A feast only for Scicli

A miniature city

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

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

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

Prominent façade

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

From International Gothic to present day

The Baroque town by the sea

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

Between white and black

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century