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 miniature city

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

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

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

Modica, a city with ancient origins

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

Between white and black

The Staircase of Angels

A long reconstruction

The Burgos crucifix

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

The colours of the cathedral

A colourful floor

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

Wonderful quick decorations

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

The Baroque town by the sea

Norman apses

The church of Carmine

A new site for a new church

The façade used as a puppet theatre

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

A Nobel Prize in Modica

A museum to save a tradition

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

A city in colour

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

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

The two churches

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

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

The city of museums

Two illustrious patron saints

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

The senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation

The internal colours

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

A prominent church

Many owners, one palace

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

Searching for colour

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

A symbol for the town

The theatre of taste

Some masterpieces

Limestone, the colour of harmony

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

The disastrous earthquake

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

The Maiolica of the staircase

A feast only for Scicli

A triumph of colour

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

Feast days

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

Discovering the mother church

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

A small room with a golden entrance

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

Prominent façade

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

The interior and its masterpieces

Some prestigious works

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

One city, three sites

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

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

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

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

St. Sebastian, so much work!

A talking palace

A hall for the feasts

From International Gothic to present day

One city, two sites

A half-Baroque church

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

New roads for Catania

A majestic and luminous church

The wall comes to life

Feasting in Palazzolo

A new site for a new city

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

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

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

A square as the heart of the city

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

The chocolate of Modica

Connections with other UNESCO sites

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

An eagle-shaped city

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara