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).

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

St. Sebastian, so much work!

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

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

A miniature city

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

The internal colours

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

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

A new site for a new church

New roads for Catania

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

A majestic and luminous church

The interior and its masterpieces

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

A hall for the feasts

The Staircase of Angels

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

A long reconstruction

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

A triumph of colour

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

Prominent façade

Many owners, one palace

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

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

A symbol for the town

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

The chocolate of Modica

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

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

The Baroque town by the sea

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

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

The two churches

A half-Baroque church

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

The Maiolica of the staircase

One city, three sites

Norman apses

The church of Carmine

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

Some prestigious works

An eagle-shaped city

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

Two illustrious patron saints

A feast only for Scicli

Searching for colour

Feast days

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

Wonderful quick decorations

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

The senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

One city, two sites

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

The city of museums

The Burgos crucifix

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

A small room with a golden entrance

The façade used as a puppet theatre

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

The wall comes to life

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

Discovering the mother church

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

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

A square as the heart of the city

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

Feasting in Palazzolo

A museum to save a tradition

The theatre of taste

A talking palace

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

Some masterpieces

A Nobel Prize in Modica

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

From International Gothic to present day

A city in colour

Between white and black

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

The disastrous earthquake

Limestone, the colour of harmony

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

A prominent church

The colours of the cathedral

Modica, a city with ancient origins

Connections with other UNESCO sites

A new site for a new city

A colourful floor

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