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 Maiolica of the staircase

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

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

St. Sebastian, so much work!

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

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

The façade used as a puppet theatre

Limestone, the colour of harmony

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

A small room with a golden entrance

The internal colours

A museum to save a tradition

The city of museums

A new site for a new city

A prominent church

One city, two sites

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

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

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

Some prestigious works

Wonderful quick decorations

A symbol for the town

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

The Staircase of Angels

New roads for Catania

The chocolate of Modica

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

A talking palace

Modica, a city with ancient origins

The wall comes to life

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

Feast days

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

An eagle-shaped city

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

A hall for the feasts

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

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

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

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

Discovering the mother church

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

A long reconstruction

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

Norman apses

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

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

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

From International Gothic to present day

Connections with other UNESCO sites

The theatre of taste

Prominent façade

Feasting in Palazzolo

The two churches

A triumph of colour

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

A Nobel Prize in Modica

One city, three sites

A miniature city

Searching for colour

The church of Carmine

Two illustrious patron saints

A square as the heart of the city

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

A colourful floor

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

A new site for a new church

A majestic and luminous church

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

The Baroque town by the sea

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

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

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

Some masterpieces

A feast only for Scicli

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

The colours of the cathedral

A city in colour

Many owners, one palace

The disastrous earthquake

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

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

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

The Burgos crucifix

The senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation

A half-Baroque church

Between white and black

The interior and its masterpieces