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 site for a new city

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

The disastrous earthquake

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

An eagle-shaped city

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

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

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

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

A colourful floor

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

One city, two sites

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

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

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

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

The two churches

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

A half-Baroque church

Between white and black

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

A symbol for the town

Feasting in Palazzolo

The façade used as a puppet theatre

Two illustrious patron saints

The colours of the cathedral

A hall for the feasts

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

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

Norman apses

Some masterpieces

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

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

The senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation

A majestic and luminous church

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

A long reconstruction

A prominent church

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

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

Discovering the mother church

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

The church of Carmine

A miniature city

Feast days

A feast only for Scicli

The theatre of taste

The Maiolica of the staircase

Many owners, one palace

Wonderful quick decorations

A Nobel Prize in Modica

The interior and its masterpieces

The chocolate of Modica

Prominent façade

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

A triumph of colour

A museum to save a tradition

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

The internal colours

The Baroque town by the sea

Modica, a city with ancient origins

Some prestigious works

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

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

The wall comes to life

The city of museums

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

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

A small room with a golden entrance

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

Searching for colour

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

The Staircase of Angels

From International Gothic to present day

Limestone, the colour of harmony

One city, three sites

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

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

St. Sebastian, so much work!

A new site for a new church

Connections with other UNESCO sites

A square as the heart of the city

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

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

The Burgos crucifix

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

New roads for Catania

A talking palace

A city in colour