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).

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

Two illustrious patron saints

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

The façade used as a puppet theatre

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

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

Feast days

A long reconstruction

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

Discovering the mother church

The Maiolica of the staircase

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

A Nobel Prize in Modica

A triumph of colour

The disastrous earthquake

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

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

The Burgos crucifix

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

Some masterpieces

Searching for colour

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

A city in colour

St. Sebastian, so much work!

A majestic and luminous church

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

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

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

One city, two sites

Some prestigious works

A small room with a golden entrance

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

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

The colours of the cathedral

The Baroque town by the sea

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

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

A miniature city

Many owners, one palace

Prominent façade

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

The two churches

The wall comes to life

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

New roads for Catania

Wonderful quick decorations

A new site for a new church

The senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

The internal colours

A new site for a new city

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

One city, three sites

Between white and black

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

Modica, a city with ancient origins

A half-Baroque church

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

The interior and its masterpieces

A feast only for Scicli

Connections with other UNESCO sites

A prominent church

A colourful floor

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

Feasting in Palazzolo

From International Gothic to present day

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

A square as the heart of the city

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

The city of museums

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

A symbol for the town

The theatre of taste

The Staircase of Angels

A talking palace

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

The chocolate of Modica

An eagle-shaped city

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

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

A hall for the feasts

Norman apses

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

A museum to save a tradition

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

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

The church of Carmine

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

Limestone, the colour of harmony