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).

Discovering the mother church

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

A colourful floor

A museum to save a tradition

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

The Maiolica of the staircase

Two illustrious patron saints

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

The Staircase of Angels

St. Sebastian, so much work!

Feast days

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

Prominent façade

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

A miniature city

New roads for Catania

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

The Baroque town by the sea

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

A small room with a golden entrance

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

The chocolate of Modica

The senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation

A city in colour

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

The two churches

Some prestigious works

Between white and black

A half-Baroque church

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

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

A new site for a new church

The Burgos crucifix

A triumph of colour

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

Many owners, one palace

The interior and its masterpieces

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

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

Limestone, the colour of harmony

The city of museums

A hall for the feasts

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

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

The internal colours

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

The disastrous earthquake

A symbol for the town

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

A new site for a new city

A long reconstruction

The theatre of taste

Some masterpieces

Searching for colour

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

Wonderful quick decorations

A feast only for Scicli

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

A majestic and luminous church

Feasting in Palazzolo

Norman apses

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

The wall comes to life

One city, three sites

One city, two sites

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

The colours of the cathedral

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

The church of Carmine

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

Modica, a city with ancient origins

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

An eagle-shaped city

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

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

From International Gothic to present day

Connections with other UNESCO sites

A talking palace

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

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

A Nobel Prize in Modica

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

A prominent church

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

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

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

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

A square as the heart of the city

The façade used as a puppet theatre