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).

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

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

The internal colours

A triumph of colour

Connections with other UNESCO sites

The Burgos crucifix

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

A majestic and luminous church

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

New roads for Catania

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

Modica, a city with ancient origins

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

Discovering the mother church

One city, three sites

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

A miniature city

The Staircase of Angels

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

Feasting in Palazzolo

The façade used as a puppet theatre

Searching for colour

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

A small room with a golden entrance

The interior and its masterpieces

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

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

A museum to save a tradition

The disastrous earthquake

The Baroque town by the sea

A prominent church

A new site for a new church

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

Some masterpieces

A Nobel Prize in Modica

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

St. Sebastian, so much work!

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

A feast only for Scicli

An eagle-shaped city

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

A colourful floor

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

The two churches

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

Some prestigious works

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

One city, two sites

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 kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

A city in colour

Prominent façade

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

Norman apses

Feast days

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

The chocolate of Modica

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

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

A hall for the feasts

A new site for a new city

Two illustrious patron saints

The theatre of taste

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

The wall comes to life

The Maiolica of the staircase

Limestone, the colour of harmony

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

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

Wonderful quick decorations

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

The church of Carmine

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

A talking palace

Many owners, one palace

A square as the heart of the city

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

A half-Baroque church

The colours of the cathedral

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

A long reconstruction

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

The senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

A symbol for the town

Between white and black

The city of museums

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

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

From International Gothic to present day

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano