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 city in colour

Limestone, the colour of harmony

Some masterpieces

The senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

The internal colours

A small room with a golden entrance

The Maiolica of the staircase

The city of museums

Feasting in Palazzolo

The chocolate of Modica

A new site for a new city

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

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

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

Discovering the mother church

The Staircase of Angels

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

A new site for a new church

The two churches

The colours of the cathedral

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

The interior and its masterpieces

Feast days

The church of Carmine

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

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

Two illustrious patron saints

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

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

Modica, a city with ancient origins

The façade used as a puppet theatre

Norman apses

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

The Burgos crucifix

A majestic and luminous church

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

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

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

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

Wonderful quick decorations

A half-Baroque church

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

Some prestigious works

A hall for the feasts

One city, two sites

From International Gothic to present day

Many owners, one palace

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

One city, three sites

A talking palace

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

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

The disastrous earthquake

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

The wall comes to life

New roads for Catania

Searching for colour

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

A feast only for Scicli

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

A triumph of colour

An eagle-shaped city

A prominent church

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

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

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

The theatre of taste

Prominent façade

A museum to save a tradition

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

A Nobel Prize in Modica

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

Connections with other UNESCO sites

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

A miniature city

A colourful floor

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

A long reconstruction

A symbol for the town

Between white and black

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

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

The Baroque town by the sea

St. Sebastian, so much work!

A square as the heart of the city

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

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata