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 prominent church

Limestone, the colour of harmony

The two churches

Modica, a city with ancient origins

A new site for a new city

The Staircase of Angels

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

Feast days

An eagle-shaped city

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

Discovering the mother church

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

The disastrous earthquake

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

From International Gothic to present day

The senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation

A long reconstruction

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

A new site for a new church

A half-Baroque church

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

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

A city in colour

A symbol for the town

Some prestigious works

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

Norman apses

The colours of the cathedral

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

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

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

A triumph of colour

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

A Nobel Prize in Modica

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

One city, two sites

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

A square as the heart of the city

Searching for colour

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

A small room with a golden entrance

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 Benedetto

A feast only for Scicli

A miniature city

Two illustrious patron saints

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

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

The chocolate of Modica

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

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

The church of Carmine

The wall comes to life

The city of museums

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

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

A majestic and luminous church

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

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

Between white and black

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

St. Sebastian, so much work!

The internal colours

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

The theatre of taste

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

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

A colourful floor

The Burgos crucifix

The Baroque town by the sea

A museum to save a tradition

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

The Maiolica of the staircase

A talking palace

New roads for Catania

The interior and its masterpieces

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

A hall for the feasts

Prominent façade

One city, three sites

Many owners, one palace

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

The façade used as a puppet theatre

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

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

Connections with other UNESCO sites

Some masterpieces

Wonderful quick decorations

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

Feasting in Palazzolo

The Barresi-Branciforte lords