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).

Two illustrious patron saints

A new site for a new city

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

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

A museum to save a tradition

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

Some prestigious works

The Staircase of Angels

Searching for colour

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

A symbol for the town

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

A prominent church

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

The two churches

A half-Baroque church

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

The city of museums

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

One city, three sites

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

A small room with a golden entrance

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

A new site for a new church

One city, two sites

The disastrous earthquake

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

The internal colours

Discovering the mother church

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

The Burgos crucifix

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

The Maiolica of the staircase

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

A colourful floor

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

Feasting in Palazzolo

A talking palace

A hall for the feasts

From International Gothic to present day

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

The senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation

New roads for Catania

St. Sebastian, so much work!

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

A triumph of colour

Many owners, one palace

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

A majestic and luminous church

The interior and its masterpieces

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

Norman apses

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

An eagle-shaped city

Modica, a city with ancient origins

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

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

A square as the heart of the city

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

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

Feast days

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

Between white and black

A feast only for Scicli

The church of Carmine

Prominent façade

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

The Baroque town by the sea

A city in colour

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

The façade used as a puppet theatre

The wall comes to life

Some masterpieces

The colours of the cathedral

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

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

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

The chocolate of Modica

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

A long reconstruction

A Nobel Prize in Modica

The theatre of taste

Connections with other UNESCO sites

Limestone, the colour of harmony

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

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

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

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

A miniature city

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

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

Wonderful quick decorations