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 Staircase of Angels

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

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

A new site for a new city

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

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

A symbol for the town

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

Discovering the mother church

Limestone, the colour of harmony

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

The interior and its masterpieces

Some masterpieces

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

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

The disastrous earthquake

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

The wall comes to life

The Burgos crucifix

A square as the heart of the city

A half-Baroque church

A new site for a new church

Connections with other UNESCO sites

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

The Maiolica of the staircase

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

Many owners, one palace

Some prestigious works

The chocolate of Modica

A talking palace

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

The colours of the cathedral

Wonderful quick decorations

A majestic and luminous church

A small room with a golden entrance

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

A miniature city

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

A museum to save a tradition

A triumph of colour

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

An eagle-shaped city

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

Norman apses

The two churches

One city, two sites

Between white and black

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

The internal colours

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

The Baroque town by the sea

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

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

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

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

From International Gothic to present day

The theatre of taste

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

Modica, a city with ancient origins

A colourful floor

Feasting in Palazzolo

New roads for Catania

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

A prominent church

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

Searching for colour

Feast days

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

A hall for the feasts

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

Prominent façade

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

One city, three sites

A Nobel Prize in Modica

The senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation

A feast only for Scicli

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

The city of museums

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

A long reconstruction

A city in colour

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

The church of Carmine

The façade used as a puppet theatre

Two illustrious patron saints

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

St. Sebastian, so much work!