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 the story of the Church of the Annunciation

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

A prominent church

The chocolate of Modica

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

The Burgos crucifix

A symbol for the town

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

A colourful floor

The Baroque town by the sea

A feast only for Scicli

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

Some masterpieces

The city of museums

The disastrous earthquake

Searching for colour

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

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

Connections with other UNESCO sites

The wall comes to life

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

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

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

A city in colour

The theatre of taste

New roads for Catania

A half-Baroque church

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

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

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

A new site for a new church

The church of Carmine

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

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

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

The colours of the cathedral

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

St. Sebastian, so much work!

A talking palace

Feast days

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

Discovering the mother church

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

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

One city, three sites

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

The two churches

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

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

A triumph of colour

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

Norman apses

The internal colours

A Nobel Prize in Modica

A new site for a new city

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

Prominent façade

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

The Staircase of Angels

A majestic and luminous church

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

A small room with a golden entrance

A hall for the feasts

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

Modica, a city with ancient origins

Between white and black

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

A miniature city

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

The interior and its masterpieces

The façade used as a puppet theatre

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

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

Two illustrious patron saints

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

A long reconstruction

A museum to save a tradition

One city, two sites

Many owners, one palace

A square as the heart of the city

Feasting in Palazzolo

From International Gothic to present day

The Maiolica of the staircase

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

Limestone, the colour of harmony

Wonderful quick decorations

Some prestigious works

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

An eagle-shaped city