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 senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

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

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

The senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

One city, two sites

One city, three sites

The two churches

A Nobel Prize in Modica

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

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

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

The façade used as a puppet theatre

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

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

Many owners, one palace

Prominent façade

The city of museums

The church of Carmine

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

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

A symbol for the town

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

A museum to save a tradition

The internal colours

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

A colourful floor

A new site for a new church

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

The wall comes to life

A triumph of colour

A city in colour

The theatre of taste

A square as the heart of the city

The colours of the cathedral

Two illustrious patron saints

Some prestigious works

The Maiolica of the staircase

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

The Burgos crucifix

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

A long reconstruction

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

The Staircase of Angels

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

A small room with a golden entrance

Feast days

A half-Baroque church

The chocolate of Modica

A hall for the feasts

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

Feasting in Palazzolo

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

From International Gothic to present day

A new site for a new city

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

Wonderful quick decorations

Limestone, the colour of harmony

A prominent church

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

New roads for Catania

A talking palace

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

St. Sebastian, so much work!

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

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

Norman apses

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

A majestic and luminous church

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

A feast only for Scicli

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

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

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

An eagle-shaped city

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

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

Some masterpieces

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

The interior and its masterpieces

A miniature city

Connections with other UNESCO sites

Discovering the mother church

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

Between white and black

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

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

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

Searching for colour

The Baroque town by the sea

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

Modica, a city with ancient origins

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

The disastrous earthquake