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 Baroque town by the sea

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

A symbol for the town

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

Searching for colour

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

An eagle-shaped city

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

One city, two sites

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

A small room with a golden entrance

A prominent church

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

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

Limestone, the colour of harmony

The façade used as a puppet theatre

A talking palace

St. Sebastian, so much work!

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

A new site for a new church

A long reconstruction

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

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

The colours of the cathedral

A majestic and luminous church

The two churches

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

Connections with other UNESCO sites

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

Discovering the mother church

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

Two illustrious patron saints

Some prestigious works

Norman apses

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

The wall comes to life

A hall for the feasts

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

Some masterpieces

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

The Maiolica of the staircase

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

The chocolate of Modica

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

A feast only for Scicli

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

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

The church of Carmine

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

Many owners, one palace

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

One city, three sites

The city of museums

From International Gothic to present day

A Nobel Prize in Modica

Between white and black

Wonderful quick decorations

A square as the heart of the city

The internal colours

A triumph of colour

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

The interior and its masterpieces

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

Feasting in Palazzolo

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

A half-Baroque church

New roads for Catania

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

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

The disastrous earthquake

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

Feast days

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

A city in colour

A new site for a new city

Prominent façade

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

The theatre of taste

Modica, a city with ancient origins

A museum to save a tradition

The senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation

The Burgos crucifix

The Staircase of Angels

A colourful floor

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

A miniature city

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours