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 square as the heart of the city

Many owners, one palace

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

Between white and black

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

Searching for colour

From International Gothic to present day

Some prestigious works

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

The church of Carmine

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

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

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

A hall for the feasts

Feasting in Palazzolo

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

A colourful floor

A small room with a golden entrance

A new site for a new city

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

The wall comes to life

A Nobel Prize in Modica

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

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

Two illustrious patron saints

One city, three sites

The senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation

One city, two sites

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

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

A miniature city

Prominent façade

The chocolate of Modica

A city in colour

The internal colours

The Staircase of Angels

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

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

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

A long reconstruction

Connections with other UNESCO sites

A majestic and luminous church

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

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

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

The disastrous earthquake

Discovering the mother church

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

A prominent church

A talking palace

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

The Burgos crucifix

Limestone, the colour of harmony

A museum to save a tradition

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

Norman apses

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

The colours of the cathedral

A half-Baroque church

The Maiolica of the staircase

New roads for Catania

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

A new site for a new church

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

Modica, a city with ancient origins

The theatre of taste

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

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

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

Some masterpieces

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

The two churches

A feast only for Scicli

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

St. Sebastian, so much work!

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

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

The city of museums

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

An eagle-shaped city

The façade used as a puppet theatre

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

The Baroque town by the sea

A symbol for the town

Wonderful quick decorations

Feast days

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

A triumph of colour

The interior and its masterpieces

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