Noto

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

sight
A panorama over Noto

The terrace of Santa Chiara will take your breath away! Partly because of all the stairs you have to climb, but more so for the spectacular view.
The whole city of Noto is below you, where infinite shades of colours embellish the landscape.
The green of the trees and surrounding hills; the blue of the sea that shines brightly in the distance, illuminated by the sun like a carpet of diamonds; and the golden cathedral of San Nicolò whose façade and round dome can be seen. A show of lights and colours!vista dalla terrazza di Santa Chiara

touch
The warm stucco

The gilded stuccoes on the ceiling of Santa Chiara (St. Claire) shine in the sunlight.
To the touch they will always be warmer than any other cold marble statue or sculpture, which are unable to retain heat.
Like stucco, wood will also always be warmer than this precious and ice-cold stone.

hearing
A gentle song

The nuns’singing was remarkable.
During religious services the church was filled with sweet voices and gentle songs alternating with delicate prayers.
If you return to the 18th century in your mind you can still hear the engrossed nuns singing Gloria del Signore (Glory of the Lord).

A museum to save a tradition

The theatre of taste

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

A talking palace

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

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

Modica, a city with ancient origins

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

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

A colourful floor

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

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

A majestic and luminous church

A half-Baroque church

The senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

New roads for Catania

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

Some masterpieces

A new site for a new city

A triumph of colour

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

The internal colours

From International Gothic to present day

Searching for colour

The wall comes to life

A small room with a golden entrance

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

A hall for the feasts

A long reconstruction

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

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

Limestone, the colour of harmony

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

A feast only for Scicli

The façade used as a puppet theatre

Some prestigious works

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

Norman apses

The two churches

A miniature city

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

The interior and its masterpieces

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

Discovering the mother church

Many owners, one palace

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

A prominent church

An eagle-shaped city

A city in colour

Connections with other UNESCO sites

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

A symbol for the town

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

St. Sebastian, so much work!

Prominent façade

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

The Maiolica of the staircase

A Nobel Prize in Modica

A square as the heart of the city

Between white and black

The Baroque town by the sea

The disastrous earthquake

The Burgos crucifix

One city, three sites

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

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

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

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

A new site for a new church

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

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

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

The church of Carmine

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

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

The Staircase of Angels

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

Two illustrious patron saints

The colours of the cathedral

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

Feasting in Palazzolo

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

The chocolate of Modica

One city, two sites

The city of museums

Wonderful quick decorations

Feast days

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento