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).

One city, three sites

A square as the heart of the city

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

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

A triumph of colour

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

The Baroque town by the sea

A small room with a golden entrance

New roads for Catania

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

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

From International Gothic to present day

A hall for the feasts

Two illustrious patron saints

A museum to save a tradition

Discovering the mother church

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

The two churches

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

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

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

Between white and black

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

The disastrous earthquake

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

Norman apses

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

The façade used as a puppet theatre

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

A colourful floor

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

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

Many owners, one palace

An eagle-shaped city

Feast days

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

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

Searching for colour

A miniature city

The internal colours

A majestic and luminous church

A half-Baroque church

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

The Maiolica of the staircase

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

A Nobel Prize in Modica

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

A feast only for Scicli

A new site for a new city

The wall comes to life

Feasting in Palazzolo

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

A long reconstruction

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

St. Sebastian, so much work!

A talking palace

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

A city in colour

The Burgos crucifix

Modica, a city with ancient origins

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

Prominent façade

Limestone, the colour of harmony

The chocolate of Modica

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

Some masterpieces

Some prestigious works

The colours of the cathedral

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

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

One city, two sites

A new site for a new church

A symbol for the town

The Staircase of Angels

The theatre of taste

The city of museums

The interior and its masterpieces

Wonderful quick decorations

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

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

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

A prominent church

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

The senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

The church of Carmine

Connections with other UNESCO sites

A new palace for the La Rocca lords