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 triumph of colour

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

Norman apses

Wonderful quick decorations

The chocolate of Modica

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

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

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

A talking palace

A prominent church

Two illustrious patron saints

The colours of the cathedral

Limestone, the colour of harmony

An eagle-shaped city

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

Modica, a city with ancient origins

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

The internal colours

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

Between white and black

A museum to save a tradition

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

The senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation

The Maiolica of the staircase

A new site for a new city

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

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

The theatre of taste

The Burgos crucifix

The Staircase of Angels

A Nobel Prize in Modica

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

Connections with other UNESCO sites

A city in colour

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

The church of Carmine

Prominent façade

One city, three sites

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

The interior and its masterpieces

New roads for Catania

St. Sebastian, so much work!

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

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

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

Searching for colour

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

Many owners, one palace

Some prestigious works

A square as the heart of the city

A feast only for Scicli

A long reconstruction

A half-Baroque church

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

The Baroque town by the sea

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

The wall comes to life

A colourful floor

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

A miniature city

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

The disastrous earthquake

From International Gothic to present day

A new site for a new church

Some masterpieces

The city of museums

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

One city, two sites

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

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

Feasting in Palazzolo

A small room with a golden entrance

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

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

Feast days

A hall for the feasts

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

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

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

The façade used as a puppet theatre

The two churches

Discovering the mother church

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

A symbol for the town

A majestic and luminous church

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

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