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).

Modica, a city with ancient origins

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

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

The façade used as a puppet theatre

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

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

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

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

The two churches

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

Between white and black

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

A half-Baroque church

The Staircase of Angels

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

A prominent church

A Nobel Prize in Modica

A small room with a golden entrance

The chocolate of Modica

The Burgos crucifix

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

The disastrous earthquake

Some masterpieces

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

The interior and its masterpieces

Two illustrious patron saints

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

Wonderful quick decorations

Searching for colour

A feast only for Scicli

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

One city, two sites

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

A majestic and luminous church

Some prestigious works

A miniature city

A talking palace

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

Prominent façade

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

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

Many owners, one palace

The wall comes to life

A long reconstruction

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

One city, three sites

Connections with other UNESCO sites

The senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation

A square as the heart of the city

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

The church of Carmine

Feast days

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

The colours of the cathedral

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

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

A city in colour

The theatre of taste

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

The Maiolica of the staircase

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

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

The Baroque town by the sea

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

A colourful floor

St. Sebastian, so much work!

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

A museum to save a tradition

A new site for a new church

Discovering the mother church

A symbol for the town

A hall for the feasts

The city of museums

From International Gothic to present day

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

Norman apses

The internal colours

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

Feasting in Palazzolo

Limestone, the colour of harmony

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

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

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

An eagle-shaped city

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

New roads for Catania

A triumph of colour

A new site for a new city