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 San Giuliano ai Crociferi

Wonderful quick decorations

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

The Maiolica of the staircase

The theatre of taste

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

The internal colours

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

New roads for Catania

Modica, a city with ancient origins

Between white and black

One city, two sites

A new site for a new city

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

Limestone, the colour of harmony

Some masterpieces

Searching for colour

A long reconstruction

The disastrous earthquake

Prominent façade

One city, three sites

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

A symbol for the town

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

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

The colours of the cathedral

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

A prominent church

A majestic and luminous church

The chocolate of Modica

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

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

A new site for a new church

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

The city of museums

The two churches

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

A small room with a golden entrance

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

A colourful floor

From International Gothic to present day

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

Norman apses

The senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation

Many owners, one palace

The façade used as a puppet theatre

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

The Baroque town by the sea

A square as the heart of the city

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

A hall for the feasts

Some prestigious works

Feasting in Palazzolo

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

Discovering the mother church

The Burgos crucifix

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

An eagle-shaped city

The interior and its masterpieces

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

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

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

Feast days

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

St. Sebastian, so much work!

A miniature city

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

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

The wall comes to life

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

A half-Baroque church

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

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

A museum to save a tradition

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

Two illustrious patron saints

Connections with other UNESCO sites

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

The church of Carmine

A triumph of colour

A talking palace

A feast only for Scicli

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

A city in colour

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

A Nobel Prize in Modica

The Staircase of Angels

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