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 about Palazzo La Rocca

A new site for a new city

The chocolate of Modica

The disastrous earthquake

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

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

New roads for Catania

Connections with other UNESCO sites

Many owners, one palace

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

Two illustrious patron saints

Feast days

A hall for the feasts

The theatre of taste

One city, three sites

The interior and its masterpieces

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

The Maiolica of the staircase

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

An eagle-shaped city

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

The senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation

The internal colours

Limestone, the colour of harmony

St. Sebastian, so much work!

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

From International Gothic to present day

A talking palace

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

Searching for colour

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

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

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

A majestic and luminous church

Modica, a city with ancient origins

Wonderful quick decorations

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

One city, two sites

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

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

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

Discovering the mother church

The wall comes to life

Some prestigious works

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

The Staircase of Angels

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

Prominent façade

A museum to save a tradition

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

A feast only for Scicli

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

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

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

A city in colour

A small room with a golden entrance

The façade used as a puppet theatre

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

The Burgos crucifix

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

A prominent church

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

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

Some masterpieces

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

A triumph of colour

A half-Baroque church

A colourful floor

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

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

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

A new site for a new church

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

A Nobel Prize in Modica

The church of Carmine

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

A square as the heart of the city

Norman apses

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

The Baroque town by the sea

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

The colours of the cathedral

The two churches

Between white and black

A miniature city

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

A long reconstruction

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

Feasting in Palazzolo

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

A symbol for the town

The city of museums

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours