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).

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

Many owners, one palace

The Baroque town by the sea

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

A Nobel Prize in Modica

Connections with other UNESCO sites

An eagle-shaped city

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

The chocolate of Modica

A hall for the feasts

One city, two sites

A half-Baroque church

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

One city, three sites

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

Two illustrious patron saints

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

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

Feast days

The Staircase of Angels

The theatre of taste

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

The interior and its masterpieces

The senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation

A small room with a golden entrance

Some prestigious works

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

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

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

The façade used as a puppet theatre

Norman apses

The church of Carmine

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

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

A talking palace

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

From International Gothic to present day

A prominent church

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

Wonderful quick decorations

Prominent façade

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

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

A majestic and luminous church

A triumph of colour

Searching for colour

A museum to save a tradition

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

A new site for a new city

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

Limestone, the colour of harmony

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

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

A feast only for Scicli

The city of museums

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

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

Modica, a city with ancient origins

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

A symbol for the town

Some masterpieces

The disastrous earthquake

The internal colours

A long reconstruction

A city in colour

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

A square as the heart of the city

A miniature city

The Maiolica of the staircase

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 Mother Church of San Nicolò and of the Santissimo Salvatore

The two churches

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

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

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

The colours of the cathedral

New roads for Catania

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

St. Sebastian, so much work!

A new site for a new church

Between white and black

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

Feasting in Palazzolo

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

The wall comes to life

A colourful floor

The Burgos crucifix

Discovering the mother church