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.

A majestic and luminous church

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

A hall for the feasts

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

Searching for colour

Norman apses

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

The senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation

Limestone, the colour of harmony

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

A talking palace

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

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

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

Connections with other UNESCO sites

The church of Carmine

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

A miniature city

A prominent church

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

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

The colours of the cathedral

The Baroque town by the sea

One city, three sites

A Nobel Prize in Modica

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

The disastrous earthquake

Feasting in Palazzolo

The theatre of taste

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

A new site for a new city

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

Feast days

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

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

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

A colourful floor

A triumph of colour

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

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

Prominent façade

The interior and its masterpieces

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

The wall comes to life

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

The Burgos crucifix

A city in colour

A half-Baroque church

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

Some masterpieces

A square as the heart of the city

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

Wonderful quick decorations

Between white and black

St. Sebastian, so much work!

Discovering the mother church

A small room with a golden entrance

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

Some prestigious works

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

A long reconstruction

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

A museum to save a tradition

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

The Staircase of Angels

The two churches

Modica, a city with ancient origins

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

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

The internal colours

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

Two illustrious patron saints

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

New roads for Catania

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

One city, two sites

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

The Maiolica of the staircase

A new site for a new church

A feast only for Scicli

An eagle-shaped city

From International Gothic to present day

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

The façade used as a puppet theatre

The city of museums

The chocolate of Modica

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

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

A symbol for the town

Many owners, one palace

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe