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 role of the religious orders in rebuilding the Val di Noto

From International Gothic to present day

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

An eagle-shaped city

Many owners, one palace

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

The wall comes to life

The senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation

The theatre of taste

A long reconstruction

A hall for the feasts

A triumph of colour

A feast only for Scicli

Limestone, the colour of harmony

Feast days

The façade used as a puppet theatre

A small room with a golden entrance

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

The disastrous earthquake

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

Discovering the mother church

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

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

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

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

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

A miniature city

Some masterpieces

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

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

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

A prominent church

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

Searching for colour

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

The interior and its masterpieces

New roads for Catania

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

The colours of the cathedral

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

St. Sebastian, so much work!

The Baroque town by the sea

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

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

Between white and black

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

A museum to save a tradition

A symbol for the town

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

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

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

A new site for a new city

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

The Burgos crucifix

Wonderful quick decorations

A talking palace

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

A square as the heart of the city

Two illustrious patron saints

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

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

One city, three sites

The Staircase of Angels

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

The church of Carmine

Feasting in Palazzolo

A colourful floor

The two churches

Norman apses

One city, two sites

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

Prominent façade

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

A new site for a new church

A half-Baroque church

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

A city in colour

The internal colours

The chocolate of Modica

Modica, a city with ancient origins

A Nobel Prize in Modica

Connections with other UNESCO sites

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

The city of museums

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

A majestic and luminous church

Some prestigious works

The Maiolica of the staircase

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano