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 interior and its masterpieces

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

A prominent church

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

Prominent façade

A triumph of colour

Modica, a city with ancient origins

Connections with other UNESCO sites

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

The Staircase of Angels

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

A museum to save a tradition

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

A feast only for Scicli

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

The colours of the cathedral

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

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

One city, two sites

A miniature city

The wall comes to life

The disastrous earthquake

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

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

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

Feast days

A talking palace

Limestone, the colour of harmony

The internal colours

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

The Baroque town by the sea

Some masterpieces

Some prestigious works

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

From International Gothic to present day

A square as the heart of the city

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

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

Feasting in Palazzolo

A hall for the feasts

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

Wonderful quick decorations

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

St. Sebastian, so much work!

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

A symbol for the town

The two churches

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

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

A long reconstruction

The chocolate of Modica

The senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

A city in colour

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

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

The theatre of taste

The city of museums

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

Norman apses

New roads for Catania

A new site for a new city

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

An eagle-shaped city

Between white and black

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

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

The Maiolica of the staircase

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

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

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

The façade used as a puppet theatre

A Nobel Prize in Modica

Two illustrious patron saints

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

The Burgos crucifix

One city, three sites

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

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

A new site for a new church

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

A majestic and luminous church

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

A colourful floor

Searching for colour

A small room with a golden entrance

The church of Carmine

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

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

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

Discovering the mother church

Many owners, one palace

A half-Baroque church