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).

A majestic and luminous church

The Baroque town by the sea

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

From International Gothic to present day

Feast days

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

Norman apses

Feasting in Palazzolo

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

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

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

The wall comes to life

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

A small room with a golden entrance

Searching for colour

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

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

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

The Burgos crucifix

A hall for the feasts

A city in colour

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

An eagle-shaped city

Some masterpieces

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

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

A square as the heart of the city

A half-Baroque church

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

The Staircase of Angels

The senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation

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

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

The colours of the cathedral

A Nobel Prize in Modica

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

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

The two churches

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

The church of Carmine

A talking palace

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

A long reconstruction

The internal colours

A museum to save a tradition

The theatre of taste

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

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

Prominent façade

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

A prominent church

Wonderful quick decorations

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

A new site for a new city

A colourful floor

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

A symbol for the town

Between white and black

The Maiolica of the staircase

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

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

The disastrous earthquake

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

The city of museums

Modica, a city with ancient origins

The façade used as a puppet theatre

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

One city, two sites

Many owners, one palace

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

Connections with other UNESCO sites

Two illustrious patron saints

A feast only for Scicli

Some prestigious works

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

A triumph of colour

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

The interior and its masterpieces

One city, three sites

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

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

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

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

The chocolate of Modica

A miniature city

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

A new site for a new church

New roads for Catania

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

Limestone, the colour of harmony

Discovering the mother church

St. Sebastian, so much work!