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 new site for a new city

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

Two illustrious patron saints

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

The disastrous earthquake

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

Searching for colour

The façade used as a puppet theatre

St. Sebastian, so much work!

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

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

Discovering the mother church

A talking palace

A colourful floor

Some masterpieces

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

A hall for the feasts

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

The city of museums

A triumph of colour

One city, three sites

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

Connections with other UNESCO sites

Limestone, the colour of harmony

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

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

A feast only for Scicli

The colours of the cathedral

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

The chocolate of Modica

The interior and its masterpieces

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

A prominent church

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

An eagle-shaped city

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

The Burgos crucifix

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

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

Wonderful quick decorations

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

A half-Baroque church

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

The Staircase of Angels

A museum to save a tradition

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

The theatre of taste

Between white and black

A long reconstruction

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

Norman apses

A new site for a new church

A Nobel Prize in Modica

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

Prominent façade

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

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

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

The wall comes to life

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

A symbol for the town

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

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

A square as the heart of the city

A small room with a golden entrance

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

The Baroque town by the sea

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

Modica, a city with ancient origins

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

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

New roads for Catania

A majestic and luminous church

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

Many owners, one palace

The church of Carmine

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

A city in colour

The Maiolica of the staircase

From International Gothic to present day

One city, two sites

Feast days

A miniature city

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

The two churches

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

Some prestigious works

The internal colours

The senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation

Feasting in Palazzolo