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 Staircase of Angels

Connections with other UNESCO sites

Norman apses

A prominent church

A new site for a new church

The interior and its masterpieces

Some prestigious works

One city, three sites

Searching for colour

Modica, a city with ancient origins

A triumph of colour

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

A feast only for Scicli

A miniature city

The colours of the cathedral

A colourful floor

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

Some masterpieces

A symbol for the town

The wall comes to life

A half-Baroque church

A majestic and luminous church

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

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

The city of museums

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

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

A square as the heart of the city

New roads for Catania

The two churches

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

Wonderful quick decorations

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

The senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

A hall for the feasts

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

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

St. Sebastian, so much work!

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

The disastrous earthquake

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

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

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

An eagle-shaped city

The Maiolica of the staircase

The church of Carmine

A museum to save a tradition

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

Feast days

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

The chocolate of Modica

Prominent façade

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

Many owners, one palace

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

One city, two sites

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

A small room with a golden entrance

The Burgos crucifix

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

Between white and black

The internal colours

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

From International Gothic to present day

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

Discovering the mother church

Limestone, the colour of harmony

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

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

A Nobel Prize in Modica

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

A city in colour

The Baroque town by the sea

Two illustrious patron saints

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

A long reconstruction

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

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

The façade used as a puppet theatre

A new site for a new city

The theatre of taste

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

A talking palace

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

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

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

Feasting in Palazzolo