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 symbol for the town

A half-Baroque church

Feasting in Palazzolo

A city in colour

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

A new site for a new church

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

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

The church of Carmine

The city of museums

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

The Staircase of Angels

Prominent façade

Limestone, the colour of harmony

A colourful floor

The two churches

The chocolate of Modica

The senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation

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

New roads for Catania

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

From International Gothic to present day

Discovering the mother church

The interior and its masterpieces

A Nobel Prize in Modica

A museum to save a tradition

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

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

Some prestigious works

A majestic and luminous church

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

The Maiolica of the staircase

The theatre of taste

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

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

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

A talking palace

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

Connections with other UNESCO sites

A prominent church

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

Two illustrious patron saints

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

One city, two sites

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

The internal colours

Many owners, one palace

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

The Baroque town by the sea

Modica, a city with ancient origins

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

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

A hall for the feasts

Norman apses

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

The wall comes to life

A miniature city

A feast only for Scicli

The Burgos crucifix

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

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

A square as the heart of the city

The colours of the cathedral

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

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

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

The façade used as a puppet theatre

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

The disastrous earthquake

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

One city, three sites

Between white and black

A small room with a golden entrance

A long reconstruction

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

Searching for colour

A triumph of colour

St. Sebastian, so much work!

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

Feast days

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

A new site for a new city

An eagle-shaped city

Wonderful quick decorations

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

Some masterpieces