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).

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

Wonderful quick decorations

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

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

A museum to save a tradition

Many owners, one palace

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

The disastrous earthquake

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

The wall comes to life

New roads for Catania

One city, two sites

Limestone, the colour of harmony

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

A long reconstruction

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

The two churches

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

A square as the heart of the city

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

Searching for colour

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

The chocolate of Modica

Connections with other UNESCO sites

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

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

A symbol for the town

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

A Nobel Prize in Modica

A talking palace

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

A miniature city

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

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

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

The church of Carmine

A colourful floor

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

The Maiolica of the staircase

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

A feast only for Scicli

A new site for a new city

The Burgos crucifix

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

A majestic and luminous church

Between white and black

The Staircase of Angels

Two illustrious patron saints

Discovering the mother church

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

Norman apses

A triumph of colour

From International Gothic to present day

A prominent church

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

A city in colour

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

Some prestigious works

The interior and its masterpieces

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

Some masterpieces

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

Feast days

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

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

The Baroque town by the sea

The city of museums

Prominent façade

A hall for the feasts

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

A new site for a new church

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

An eagle-shaped city

One city, three sites

The colours of the cathedral

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

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

A small room with a golden entrance

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

Modica, a city with ancient origins

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

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

The theatre of taste

The senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation

A half-Baroque church

The internal colours

The façade used as a puppet theatre

Feasting in Palazzolo

St. Sebastian, so much work!