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).

One city, two sites

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

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

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

The chocolate of Modica

One city, three sites

The disastrous earthquake

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

The theatre of taste

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

A feast only for Scicli

A miniature city

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

Two illustrious patron saints

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

Prominent façade

A new site for a new city

The two churches

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

A talking palace

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

Some masterpieces

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

A square as the heart of the city

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

An eagle-shaped city

The façade used as a puppet theatre

A city in colour

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

Searching for colour

A Nobel Prize in Modica

A majestic and luminous church

Feasting in Palazzolo

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

The senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation

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

Limestone, the colour of harmony

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

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

Wonderful quick decorations

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

St. Sebastian, so much work!

The Staircase of Angels

Connections with other UNESCO sites

The Burgos crucifix

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

A long reconstruction

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

Modica, a city with ancient origins

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

Norman apses

The internal colours

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

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

A museum to save a tradition

The Baroque town by the sea

The interior and its masterpieces

The church of Carmine

The colours of the cathedral

A new site for a new church

New roads for Catania

The city of museums

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

From International Gothic to present day

A half-Baroque church

The Maiolica of the staircase

Feast days

A prominent church

A small room with a golden entrance

Many owners, one palace

Discovering the mother church

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

A triumph of colour

A hall for the feasts

Some prestigious works

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

A colourful floor

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

Between white and black

A symbol for the town

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

The wall comes to life