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 Maria del Carmelo

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

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

A feast only for Scicli

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

New roads for Catania

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

The theatre of taste

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

A majestic and luminous church

The chocolate of Modica

A small room with a golden entrance

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

A hall for the feasts

The city of museums

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

An eagle-shaped city

The church of Carmine

Searching for colour

A half-Baroque church

A city in colour

Many owners, one palace

The colours of the cathedral

A symbol for the town

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

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

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

From International Gothic to present day

Limestone, the colour of harmony

Modica, a city with ancient origins

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

Norman apses

Some prestigious works

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

A new site for a new church

The Burgos crucifix

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

A Nobel Prize in Modica

A triumph of colour

Connections with other UNESCO sites

The Staircase of Angels

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

The two churches

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

Some masterpieces

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

St. Sebastian, so much work!

Prominent façade

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

The interior and its masterpieces

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

The senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

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

A museum to save a tradition

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

Feast days

A new site for a new city

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

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

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

The façade used as a puppet theatre

One city, two sites

The Maiolica of the staircase

A prominent church

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

The disastrous earthquake

A miniature city

One city, three sites

The wall comes to life

A long reconstruction

Between white and black

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

The internal colours

A square as the heart of the city

Two illustrious patron saints

A colourful floor

A talking palace

Feasting in Palazzolo

Wonderful quick decorations

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

The Baroque town by the sea

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

Discovering the mother church

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento