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).

Some prestigious works

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

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

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

A city in colour

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

A museum to save a tradition

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

The wall comes to life

A triumph of colour

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

A new site for a new church

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

A symbol for the town

New roads for Catania

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

A new site for a new city

The church of Carmine

The senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation

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

The Baroque town by the sea

Norman apses

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

Some masterpieces

A long reconstruction

The colours of the cathedral

A talking palace

The disastrous earthquake

Discovering the mother church

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

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

Limestone, the colour of harmony

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

A miniature city

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

A feast only for Scicli

The two churches

The theatre of taste

A small room with a golden entrance

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

One city, three sites

The façade used as a puppet theatre

Connections with other UNESCO sites

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

The internal colours

Feasting in Palazzolo

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

Many owners, one palace

Searching for colour

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

The chocolate of Modica

A hall for the feasts

The city of museums

Two illustrious patron saints

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

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

A majestic and luminous church

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

One city, two sites

The Staircase of Angels

A square as the heart of the city

Modica, a city with ancient origins

A colourful floor

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

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

The Maiolica of the staircase

From International Gothic to present day

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

An eagle-shaped city

A half-Baroque church

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

Prominent façade

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

Wonderful quick decorations

The interior and its masterpieces

Between white and black

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

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

St. Sebastian, so much work!

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

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

Feast days

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

A Nobel Prize in Modica

A prominent church

The Burgos crucifix