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 city of museums

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

A hall for the feasts

A feast only for Scicli

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

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

Searching for colour

The interior and its masterpieces

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

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

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

Modica, a city with ancient origins

An eagle-shaped city

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

A long reconstruction

Connections with other UNESCO sites

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

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

Some prestigious works

Two illustrious patron saints

The Burgos crucifix

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

The theatre of taste

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

A talking palace

Prominent façade

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

A small room with a golden entrance

Discovering the mother church

The internal colours

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

A majestic and luminous church

From International Gothic to present day

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

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

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

A triumph of colour

Feast days

A Nobel Prize in Modica

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

The colours of the cathedral

The wall comes to life

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

A city in colour

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

Many owners, one palace

A symbol for the town

The façade used as a puppet theatre

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

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

A new site for a new city

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

Limestone, the colour of harmony

Feasting in Palazzolo

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

The chocolate of Modica

The Staircase of Angels

New roads for Catania

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

A prominent church

Between white and black

A half-Baroque church

A square as the heart of the city

One city, three sites

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

St. Sebastian, so much work!

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

Some masterpieces

Norman apses

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

A museum to save a tradition

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

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

The Baroque town by the sea

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

A colourful floor

The church of Carmine

The two churches

One city, two sites

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

The senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

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

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

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

Wonderful quick decorations

The Maiolica of the staircase

The disastrous earthquake

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

A new site for a new church

A miniature city