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).

Wonderful quick decorations

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

Connections with other UNESCO sites

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

The wall comes to life

A symbol for the town

Searching for colour

Discovering the mother church

A small room with a golden entrance

A Nobel Prize in Modica

One city, two sites

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

Feasting in Palazzolo

The two churches

A long reconstruction

The façade used as a puppet theatre

A colourful floor

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

A new site for a new city

A miniature city

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

The disastrous earthquake

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

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

A half-Baroque church

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

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

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

The internal colours

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

Limestone, the colour of harmony

Prominent façade

The church of Carmine

Between white and black

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

One city, three sites

New roads for Catania

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

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

A triumph of colour

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

The Staircase of Angels

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

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

A city in colour

The Maiolica of the staircase

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

The chocolate of Modica

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

A new site for a new church

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

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

Two illustrious patron saints

Feast days

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

The senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

Modica, a city with ancient origins

The Baroque town by the sea

The city of museums

Norman apses

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

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

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

Many owners, one palace

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

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

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

Some prestigious works

The colours of the cathedral

A majestic and luminous church

The theatre of taste

A prominent church

A talking palace

An eagle-shaped city

From International Gothic to present day

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

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

A feast only for Scicli

A museum to save a tradition

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

The interior and its masterpieces

A hall for the feasts

The Burgos crucifix

A square as the heart of the city

Some masterpieces

St. Sebastian, so much work!

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata