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 interior and its masterpieces

A prominent church

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

The theatre of taste

Between white and black

The wall comes to life

A long reconstruction

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

A square as the heart of the city

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

A triumph of colour

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

The chocolate of Modica

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

A hall for the feasts

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

A museum to save a tradition

The colours of the cathedral

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

Norman apses

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

St. Sebastian, so much work!

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

An eagle-shaped city

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

A miniature city

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

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

New roads for Catania

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

The senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation

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

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

A new site for a new city

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

Many owners, one palace

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

Discovering the mother church

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

Some prestigious works

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

A city in colour

A half-Baroque church

The disastrous earthquake

A majestic and luminous church

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

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

Limestone, the colour of harmony

Prominent façade

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

Some masterpieces

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

The Maiolica of the staircase

Feasting in Palazzolo

Connections with other UNESCO sites

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

A small room with a golden entrance

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

One city, two sites

The two churches

The city of museums

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

A Nobel Prize in Modica

Feast days

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

Two illustrious patron saints

Modica, a city with ancient origins

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

A new site for a new church

A colourful floor

The internal colours

From International Gothic to present day

Wonderful quick decorations

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

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

A feast only for Scicli

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

The Staircase of Angels

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

One city, three sites

A symbol for the town

A talking palace

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

The Burgos crucifix

The Baroque town by the sea

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

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

Searching for colour

The church of Carmine

The façade used as a puppet theatre

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano