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 senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

The colours of the cathedral

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

A colourful floor

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

A triumph of colour

From International Gothic to present day

The façade used as a puppet theatre

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

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

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

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

The Baroque town by the sea

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

The internal colours

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

A small room with a golden entrance

The interior and its masterpieces

Two illustrious patron saints

St. Sebastian, so much work!

The Maiolica of the staircase

Norman apses

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

A majestic and luminous church

The two churches

Between white and black

A new site for a new church

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

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

The theatre of taste

One city, two sites

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

A long reconstruction

Some masterpieces

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

Prominent façade

The disastrous earthquake

The chocolate of Modica

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

A square as the heart of the city

Searching for colour

A hall for the feasts

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

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

Some prestigious works

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

The church of Carmine

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

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

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

A museum to save a tradition

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

The wall comes to life

Connections with other UNESCO sites

The Burgos crucifix

A symbol for the town

A prominent church

One city, three sites

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

A talking palace

The city of museums

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

New roads for Catania

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

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

A half-Baroque church

A city in colour

Feasting in Palazzolo

A new site for a new city

Feast days

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

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

A Nobel Prize in Modica

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

The senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

A miniature city

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

The Staircase of Angels

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

Limestone, the colour of harmony

A feast only for Scicli

Modica, a city with ancient origins

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

Many owners, one palace

Discovering the mother church

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

Wonderful quick decorations

An eagle-shaped city