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).

Some prestigious works

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

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

A triumph of colour

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

The façade used as a puppet theatre

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

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

Wonderful quick decorations

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

The city of museums

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

A colourful floor

The Maiolica of the staircase

A symbol for the town

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

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

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

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

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

The chocolate of Modica

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

The church of Carmine

The Staircase of Angels

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

A small room with a golden entrance

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

A half-Baroque church

A feast only for Scicli

The interior and its masterpieces

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

A new site for a new church

One city, two sites

Feast days

Norman apses

The wall comes to life

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

Connections with other UNESCO sites

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

A hall for the feasts

A new site for a new city

A city in colour

Discovering the mother church

The Burgos crucifix

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

An eagle-shaped city

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

A majestic and luminous church

The two churches

From International Gothic to present day

The colours of the cathedral

Feasting in Palazzolo

One city, three sites

A Nobel Prize in Modica

The internal colours

Modica, a city with ancient origins

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

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

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

A prominent church

A long reconstruction

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

The Baroque town by the sea

Limestone, the colour of harmony

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

A talking palace

Searching for colour

The theatre of taste

The senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation

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

Many owners, one palace

St. Sebastian, so much work!

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

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

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

Two illustrious patron saints

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

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

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

A miniature city

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

New roads for Catania

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

Prominent façade

The disastrous earthquake

Between white and black

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

A museum to save a tradition

Some masterpieces

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

A square as the heart of the city