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 two churches

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

The theatre of taste

A small room with a golden entrance

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

A square as the heart of the city

Some prestigious works

Some masterpieces

One city, three sites

A majestic and luminous church

A museum to save a tradition

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

Connections with other UNESCO sites

Modica, a city with ancient origins

Limestone, the colour of harmony

The Staircase of Angels

Wonderful quick decorations

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

The Baroque town by the sea

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

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

A new site for a new city

A long reconstruction

A talking palace

The Maiolica of the staircase

The wall comes to life

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

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

A miniature city

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

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

A feast only for Scicli

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

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

Between white and black

A Nobel Prize in Modica

The façade used as a puppet theatre

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

A new site for a new church

The internal colours

The chocolate of Modica

A triumph of colour

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

A half-Baroque church

The Burgos crucifix

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

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

A hall for the feasts

A symbol for the town

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

From International Gothic to present day

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

A colourful floor

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

Discovering the mother church

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

An eagle-shaped city

Searching for colour

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

The interior and its masterpieces

Feast days

Prominent façade

A prominent church

Two illustrious patron saints

The colours of the cathedral

Many owners, one palace

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

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

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

One city, two sites

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

The disastrous earthquake

Feasting in Palazzolo

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

The city of museums

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

Norman apses

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

The senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation

St. Sebastian, so much work!

The church of Carmine

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

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

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

New roads for Catania

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

A city in colour

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