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

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

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

The chocolate of Modica

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

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

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

A city in colour

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

The colours of the cathedral

A Nobel Prize in Modica

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

St. Sebastian, so much work!

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

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

Connections with other UNESCO sites

The Staircase of Angels

A new site for a new city

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

Norman apses

Between white and black

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

The interior and its masterpieces

Two illustrious patron saints

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

A feast only for Scicli

A miniature city

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

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

Searching for colour

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

The wall comes to life

From International Gothic to present day

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

A new site for a new church

A majestic and luminous church

The city of museums

A colourful floor

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

A long reconstruction

One city, two sites

The theatre of taste

Modica, a city with ancient origins

The Baroque town by the sea

Some prestigious works

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

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

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

Many owners, one palace

An eagle-shaped city

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

A square as the heart of the city

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

Feasting in Palazzolo

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

Discovering the mother church

Limestone, the colour of harmony

A small room with a golden entrance

A museum to save a tradition

The two churches

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

A talking palace

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

A half-Baroque church

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

Wonderful quick decorations

Prominent façade

Some masterpieces

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

The façade used as a puppet theatre

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

A prominent church

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

New roads for Catania

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

The Maiolica of the staircase

A hall for the feasts

Feast days

The internal colours

The church of Carmine

One city, three sites

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

A symbol for the town

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

The Burgos crucifix

A triumph of colour

The senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation

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

The disastrous earthquake

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)