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 entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

The colours of the cathedral

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

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

New roads for Catania

Many owners, one palace

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

A small room with a golden entrance

A museum to save a tradition

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

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

Some prestigious works

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

Two illustrious patron saints

A Nobel Prize in Modica

A prominent church

Modica, a city with ancient origins

A talking palace

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

Connections with other UNESCO sites

The wall comes to life

A hall for the feasts

The theatre of taste

A new site for a new city

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

The interior and its masterpieces

The chocolate of Modica

The Baroque town by the sea

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

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

The city of museums

A miniature city

Between white and black

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

A majestic and luminous church

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

The two churches

Discovering the mother church

Norman apses

A new site for a new church

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

A colourful floor

Feasting in Palazzolo

A half-Baroque church

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

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

Feast days

The senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation

The façade used as a puppet theatre

Limestone, the colour of harmony

The disastrous earthquake

A feast only for Scicli

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

From International Gothic to present day

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

The church of Carmine

Wonderful quick decorations

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

A square as the heart of the city

An eagle-shaped city

A triumph of colour

Prominent façade

A long reconstruction

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

The Maiolica of the staircase

A symbol for the town

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

A city in colour

The Staircase of Angels

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

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

Searching for colour

One city, two sites

One city, three sites

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

The internal colours

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

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

Some masterpieces

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

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

St. Sebastian, so much work!

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

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

The Burgos crucifix