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).

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

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

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

An eagle-shaped city

Between white and black

Discovering the mother church

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

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

Modica, a city with ancient origins

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

Two illustrious patron saints

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

A new site for a new city

The church of Carmine

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

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

The wall comes to life

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

Limestone, the colour of harmony

A triumph of colour

A square as the heart of the city

A feast only for Scicli

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

One city, three sites

A small room with a golden entrance

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

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

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

The Staircase of Angels

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

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

A talking palace

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

The internal colours

Feast days

From International Gothic to present day

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

The theatre of taste

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

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

The colours of the cathedral

Some masterpieces

A colourful floor

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

St. Sebastian, so much work!

A long reconstruction

Some prestigious works

The Burgos crucifix

Searching for colour

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

A new site for a new church

A symbol for the town

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

Feasting in Palazzolo

A hall for the feasts

A half-Baroque church

The Baroque town by the sea

The chocolate of Modica

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

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

A miniature city

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

A city in colour

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

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

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

The two churches

A museum to save a tradition

A Nobel Prize in Modica

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

Wonderful quick decorations

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

The interior and its masterpieces

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

The façade used as a puppet theatre

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

Connections with other UNESCO sites

A majestic and luminous church

A prominent church

The Maiolica of the staircase

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

Many owners, one palace

The disastrous earthquake

Prominent façade

New roads for Catania

The senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation

Norman apses

The city of museums

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

One city, two sites