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).

An eagle-shaped city

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

The theatre of taste

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

Some prestigious works

Some masterpieces

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

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

The internal colours

One city, two sites

New roads for Catania

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

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

A new site for a new church

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

The colours of the cathedral

A half-Baroque church

One city, three sites

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

Modica, a city with ancient origins

Two illustrious patron saints

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

Prominent façade

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

A Nobel Prize in Modica

A new site for a new city

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

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

A miniature city

A small room with a golden entrance

The wall comes to life

A hall for the feasts

Norman apses

Discovering the mother church

The Burgos crucifix

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

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

A square as the heart of the city

The Staircase of Angels

Feast days

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

The city of museums

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

From International Gothic to present day

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

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

The Maiolica of the staircase

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

The disastrous earthquake

Searching for colour

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

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

The senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

Between white and black

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

Limestone, the colour of harmony

A feast only for Scicli

A museum to save a tradition

A triumph of colour

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

Connections with other UNESCO sites

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

A talking palace

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

A prominent church

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

Many owners, one palace

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

The Baroque town by the sea

A city in colour

The chocolate of Modica

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

A colourful floor

A long reconstruction

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

The church of Carmine

The interior and its masterpieces

The two churches

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

St. Sebastian, so much work!

A symbol for the town

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

A majestic and luminous church

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

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

The façade used as a puppet theatre

Feasting in Palazzolo

Wonderful quick decorations