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).

Feast days

A new site for a new church

Modica, a city with ancient origins

Norman apses

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

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

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

A half-Baroque church

New roads for Catania

A museum to save a tradition

The colours of the cathedral

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

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

Some masterpieces

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

From International Gothic to present day

The two churches

St. Sebastian, so much work!

A city in colour

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

The senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

The Maiolica of the staircase

A Nobel Prize in Modica

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

Limestone, the colour of harmony

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

One city, two sites

An eagle-shaped city

The disastrous earthquake

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

The interior and its masterpieces

Wonderful quick decorations

A new site for a new city

The theatre of taste

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

Feasting in Palazzolo

Some prestigious works

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

A square as the heart of the city

The Baroque town by the sea

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

The Burgos crucifix

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

Searching for colour

A triumph of colour

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

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

A colourful floor

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

Prominent façade

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

Between white and black

Many owners, one palace

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

Discovering the mother church

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

A hall for the feasts

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

Two illustrious patron saints

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

The Staircase of Angels

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

The internal colours

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

A long reconstruction

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

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

A talking palace

The façade used as a puppet theatre

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

Connections with other UNESCO sites

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

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

A symbol for the town

A feast only for Scicli

The church of Carmine

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

The chocolate of Modica

The city of museums

The wall comes to life

A prominent church

A small room with a golden entrance

One city, three sites

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

A majestic and luminous church

A miniature city

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

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso