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 chocolate of Modica

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

A talking palace

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

The church of Carmine

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

The internal colours

An eagle-shaped city

A prominent church

A long reconstruction

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

A feast only for Scicli

The Maiolica of the staircase

The disastrous earthquake

Discovering the mother church

Modica, a city with ancient origins

The Baroque town by the sea

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

Wonderful quick decorations

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

Feast days

A half-Baroque church

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

A Nobel Prize in Modica

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

St. Sebastian, so much work!

The Burgos crucifix

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

The theatre of taste

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

New roads for Catania

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

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

Some prestigious works

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

Between white and black

A museum to save a tradition

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

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

The two churches

Prominent façade

From International Gothic to present day

A city in colour

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

The city of museums

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

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

Feasting in Palazzolo

A colourful floor

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

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

The colours of the cathedral

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

The façade used as a puppet theatre

A small room with a golden entrance

A triumph of colour

The Staircase of Angels

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

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

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

Two illustrious patron saints

One city, three sites

Many owners, one palace

A hall for the feasts

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

A new site for a new city

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

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

Connections with other UNESCO sites

Some masterpieces

One city, two sites

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

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

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

A miniature city

A new site for a new church

The interior and its masterpieces

The senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation

The wall comes to life

Limestone, the colour of harmony

Searching for colour

A majestic and luminous church

Norman apses

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

A symbol for the town

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

A square as the heart of the city

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara