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 internal colours

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

Modica, a city with ancient origins

The city of museums

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

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

Searching for colour

A colourful floor

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

Some prestigious works

The disastrous earthquake

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

The interior and its masterpieces

From International Gothic to present day

Many owners, one palace

A city in colour

The Maiolica of the staircase

Feast days

The church of Carmine

The two churches

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

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

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

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

Between white and black

One city, three sites

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

A symbol for the town

A talking palace

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

Discovering the mother church

Limestone, the colour of harmony

A hall for the feasts

A majestic and luminous church

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

The façade used as a puppet theatre

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

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

The wall comes to life

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

The Burgos crucifix

One city, two sites

St. Sebastian, so much work!

A square as the heart of the city

A long reconstruction

A small room with a golden entrance

Two illustrious patron saints

A museum to save a tradition

A feast only for Scicli

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

Feasting in Palazzolo

The Staircase of Angels

A new site for a new church

Norman apses

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

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

A new site for a new city

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

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

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

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

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

The theatre of taste

A triumph of colour

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

A half-Baroque church

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

The Baroque town by the sea

An eagle-shaped city

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

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

A prominent church

The senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation

A miniature city

The chocolate of Modica

Some masterpieces

The colours of the cathedral

Wonderful quick decorations

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

New roads for Catania

Prominent façade

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

A Nobel Prize in Modica

Connections with other UNESCO sites

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?