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).

New roads for Catania

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

A miniature city

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

A square as the heart of the city

The Baroque town by the sea

A talking palace

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

A feast only for Scicli

A prominent church

Searching for colour

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

A triumph of colour

Norman apses

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

From International Gothic to present day

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

An eagle-shaped city

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

A symbol for the town

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

The two churches

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

A city in colour

Feast days

Two illustrious patron saints

The theatre of taste

Many owners, one palace

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

The wall comes to life

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

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

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

The disastrous earthquake

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

The chocolate of Modica

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

Some masterpieces

The Burgos crucifix

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

Feasting in Palazzolo

The colours of the cathedral

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

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

One city, three sites

The senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

Modica, a city with ancient origins

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

A small room with a golden entrance

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

Prominent façade

A colourful floor

The church of Carmine

Limestone, the colour of harmony

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

The Staircase of Angels

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

The interior and its masterpieces

Connections with other UNESCO sites

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

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

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

A hall for the feasts

The internal colours

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

A half-Baroque church

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

A Nobel Prize in Modica

The façade used as a puppet theatre

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

A long reconstruction

Discovering the mother church

Between white and black

A new site for a new city

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

A museum to save a tradition

A majestic and luminous church

Some prestigious works

The Maiolica of the staircase

A new site for a new church

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

Wonderful quick decorations

St. Sebastian, so much work!

The city of museums

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

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

One city, two sites