Noto

Limestone, the colour of harmony

The harmonious architecture and homogeneity of Noto stone create such a scenic balance that the city looks as though it were built in one night.
Noto was actually built over half a century by various architects and craftspeople. Noto omogeneita e l'armonia archtettureThe work of the architect Angelo Italia was fundamental: he organised the city space and created splendid scenographic effects, transforming squares and streets into stages.
No less important was Rosario Gagliardi .
His constant presence in Noto allowed him to closely monitor all of his construction sites and to teach and prepare new, young architects. Upon his death, his works were completed by one of his students, Vincenzo Sinatra , who never forgot the expert’s teachings.
None of this could have been achieved without good basic organisation.
Thanks to Baron Giuseppe Asmundo, the land for constructing the new buildings was allocated fairly and the height of the buildings was also clearly defined. In this way, the buildings were all the same, creating a harmonious and homogeneous landscape.
The choice of white limestone , was also important.This local stone, when lit up by the sun, takes on a golden yellow colour reminiscent of honey.Its appearance has remained unchanged over the centuries; minimal interventions were made and you can still admire it in all its beauty and grace today.The effect is a landscape wrapped in an ethereal light.

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

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

One city, two sites

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

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

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

Wonderful quick decorations

The Maiolica of the staircase

Feast days

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

Some prestigious works

An eagle-shaped city

Discovering the mother church

A new site for a new church

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

A hall for the feasts

A Nobel Prize in Modica

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

A talking palace

A city in colour

The wall comes to life

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

Between white and black

The church of Carmine

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

The façade used as a puppet theatre

Prominent façade

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

The theatre of taste

Modica, a city with ancient origins

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

Feasting in Palazzolo

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

A colourful floor

Norman apses

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

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

The Baroque town by the sea

Two illustrious patron saints

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

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

The disastrous earthquake

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

The senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation

The internal colours

A symbol for the town

One city, three sites

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

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

Some masterpieces

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

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

A museum to save a tradition

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

Searching for colour

Connections with other UNESCO sites

The Staircase of Angels

St. Sebastian, so much work!

A majestic and luminous church

Limestone, the colour of harmony

A small room with a golden entrance

A new site for a new city

The chocolate of Modica

A half-Baroque church

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

The interior and its masterpieces

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

The colours of the cathedral

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

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

A triumph of colour

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

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

A miniature city

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

Many owners, one palace

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

The city of museums

A square as the heart of the city

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

A long reconstruction

The two churches

A prominent church

A feast only for Scicli

From International Gothic to present day

New roads for Catania

The Burgos crucifix