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 feast only for Scicli

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

A square as the heart of the city

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

A talking palace

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

A triumph of colour

One city, two sites

The disastrous earthquake

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

The colours of the cathedral

The chocolate of Modica

Prominent façade

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

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

St. Sebastian, so much work!

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

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

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

The Staircase of Angels

The Maiolica of the staircase

Some masterpieces

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

Some prestigious works

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

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

Wonderful quick decorations

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

Many owners, one palace

The theatre of taste

A new site for a new church

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

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

A miniature city

Limestone, the colour of harmony

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

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

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

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

A Nobel Prize in Modica

The church of Carmine

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

A new site for a new city

The façade used as a puppet theatre

From International Gothic to present day

One city, three sites

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

Feast days

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

The Burgos crucifix

A city in colour

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

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

An eagle-shaped city

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

Modica, a city with ancient origins

Discovering the mother church

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

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

The wall comes to life

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

A small room with a golden entrance

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

A prominent church

A long reconstruction

A half-Baroque church

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

A symbol for the town

A colourful floor

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

Norman apses

The interior and its masterpieces

The Baroque town by the sea

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

A majestic and luminous church

Feasting in Palazzolo

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

A museum to save a tradition

A hall for the feasts

The two churches

Searching for colour

Connections with other UNESCO sites

Between white and black

Two illustrious patron saints

New roads for Catania

The city of museums

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

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

The internal colours

The senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation