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 Nobel Prize in Modica

A feast only for Scicli

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

Discovering the mother church

A prominent church

Modica, a city with ancient origins

One city, two sites

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

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

A museum to save a tradition

The two churches

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

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

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

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

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

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

Many owners, one palace

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

Between white and black

New roads for Catania

The interior and its masterpieces

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

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

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

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

A hall for the feasts

The Staircase of Angels

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

A talking palace

A square as the heart of the city

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

A long reconstruction

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

The church of Carmine

A new site for a new church

Wonderful quick decorations

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

The wall comes to life

The senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation

An eagle-shaped city

Searching for colour

The disastrous earthquake

The internal colours

A city in colour

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

A new site for a new city

Limestone, the colour of harmony

A majestic and luminous church

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

Connections with other UNESCO sites

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

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

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

The Baroque town by the sea

A small room with a golden entrance

The Burgos crucifix

The Maiolica of the staircase

Two illustrious patron saints

Feasting in Palazzolo

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

Some masterpieces

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

St. Sebastian, so much work!

The theatre of taste

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

A half-Baroque church

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

The colours of the cathedral

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

Norman apses

One city, three sites

From International Gothic to present day

A triumph of colour

Prominent façade

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

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

The chocolate of Modica

Some prestigious works

Feast days

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

The façade used as a puppet theatre

A miniature city

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

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

A colourful floor

A symbol for the town

The city of museums