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 Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

A small room with a golden entrance

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

A feast only for Scicli

Some masterpieces

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

The interior and its masterpieces

Two illustrious patron saints

The Burgos crucifix

A museum to save a tradition

The internal colours

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

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

A colourful floor

A symbol for the town

The Baroque town by the sea

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

A new site for a new city

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

A triumph of colour

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

The Staircase of Angels

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

An eagle-shaped city

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

The senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation

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

A long reconstruction

The façade used as a puppet theatre

St. Sebastian, so much work!

The city of museums

The church of Carmine

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

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

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

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

Modica, a city with ancient origins

Some prestigious works

Connections with other UNESCO sites

A half-Baroque church

Many owners, one palace

The colours of the cathedral

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

Limestone, the colour of harmony

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

The two churches

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

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

The Maiolica of the staircase

Searching for colour

The theatre of taste

A prominent church

A square as the heart of the city

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

The wall comes to life

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

A talking palace

A Nobel Prize in Modica

A miniature city

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

Between white and black

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

Norman apses

From International Gothic to present day

Prominent façade

The disastrous earthquake

One city, three sites

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

Discovering the mother church

Feasting in Palazzolo

A majestic and luminous church

A hall for the feasts

A city in colour

New roads for Catania

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

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

The chocolate of Modica

One city, two sites

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

Feast days

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

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

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

A new site for a new church

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

Wonderful quick decorations