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).

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

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

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

A colourful floor

Connections with other UNESCO sites

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

Between white and black

The theatre of taste

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

Many owners, one palace

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

One city, three sites

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

The Baroque town by the sea

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

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

The interior and its masterpieces

A new site for a new city

Limestone, the colour of harmony

Wonderful quick decorations

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

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

A Nobel Prize in Modica

The two churches

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

Some prestigious works

New roads for Catania

The city of museums

The façade used as a puppet theatre

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

A talking palace

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

The church of Carmine

The Staircase of Angels

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

An eagle-shaped city

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

Searching for colour

One city, two sites

The Burgos crucifix

Prominent façade

A majestic and luminous church

Feast days

The internal colours

Norman apses

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

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

The wall comes to life

A long reconstruction

From International Gothic to present day

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

A new site for a new church

The disastrous earthquake

Feasting in Palazzolo

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

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

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

The Maiolica of the staircase

Discovering the mother church

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

The senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation

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

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

A triumph of colour

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

A half-Baroque church

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

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

A small room with a golden entrance

Two illustrious patron saints

A feast only for Scicli

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

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

A city in colour

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

A symbol for the town

A hall for the feasts

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

A museum to save a tradition

The chocolate of Modica

A prominent church

A square as the heart of the city

Some masterpieces

A miniature city

Modica, a city with ancient origins

St. Sebastian, so much work!

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

The colours of the cathedral

A new palace for the La Rocca lords