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 senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

Prominent façade

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

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

A majestic and luminous church

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

Between white and black

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

The façade used as a puppet theatre

A colourful floor

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

New roads for Catania

A half-Baroque church

Two illustrious patron saints

A talking palace

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

The senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

The Burgos crucifix

Limestone, the colour of harmony

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

The Baroque town by the sea

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

A Nobel Prize in Modica

An eagle-shaped city

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

Searching for colour

Feasting in Palazzolo

The colours of the cathedral

A hall for the feasts

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

From International Gothic to present day

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

A miniature city

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

Wonderful quick decorations

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

The theatre of taste

The disastrous earthquake

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

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

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

A symbol for the town

The city of museums

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

Modica, a city with ancient origins

A new site for a new city

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

Discovering the mother church

The wall comes to life

A feast only for Scicli

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

Connections with other UNESCO sites

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

The Maiolica of the staircase

A new site for a new church

A small room with a golden entrance

Some prestigious works

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

Many owners, one palace

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

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

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

The church of Carmine

A long reconstruction

St. Sebastian, so much work!

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

A triumph of colour

A prominent church

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

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

Feast days

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

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

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

The two churches

Some masterpieces

A square as the heart of the city

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

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

A museum to save a tradition

One city, two sites

One city, three sites

The chocolate of Modica

Norman apses

The internal colours

A city in colour

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

The Staircase of Angels

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

The interior and its masterpieces