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 palace for the La Rocca lords

A colourful floor

A new site for a new church

St. Sebastian, so much work!

Some masterpieces

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

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

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

A symbol for the town

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

The chocolate of Modica

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

Many owners, one palace

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

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

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

Discovering the mother church

A museum to save a tradition

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

The city of museums

A miniature city

The church of Carmine

The disastrous earthquake

The wall comes to life

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

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

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

A new site for a new city

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

Searching for colour

The theatre of taste

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

One city, three sites

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

Feasting in Palazzolo

The senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation

Connections with other UNESCO sites

The internal colours

A square as the heart of the city

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

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

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

A majestic and luminous church

A hall for the feasts

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

One city, two sites

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

A city in colour

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

An eagle-shaped city

A small room with a golden entrance

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

The Staircase of Angels

A prominent church

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

The two churches

A half-Baroque church

Norman apses

A feast only for Scicli

The Baroque town by the sea

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

Between white and black

A Nobel Prize in Modica

The Burgos crucifix

Limestone, the colour of harmony

Wonderful quick decorations

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

A triumph of colour

The façade used as a puppet theatre

The Maiolica of the staircase

Feast days

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

Two illustrious patron saints

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

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

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

Modica, a city with ancient origins

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

Prominent façade

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

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

The colours of the cathedral

A long reconstruction

A talking palace

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

From International Gothic to present day

New roads for Catania

Some prestigious works

The interior and its masterpieces