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).

Some masterpieces

The senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation

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

Norman apses

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

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

Connections with other UNESCO sites

A new site for a new church

The theatre of taste

Two illustrious patron saints

Searching for colour

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

A square as the heart of the city

A feast only for Scicli

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

Discovering the mother church

A miniature city

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

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

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

The disastrous earthquake

Modica, a city with ancient origins

Between white and black

Limestone, the colour of harmony

The colours of the cathedral

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

Wonderful quick decorations

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

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

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

A small room with a golden entrance

A majestic and luminous church

A city in colour

The internal colours

Some prestigious works

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

An eagle-shaped city

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

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

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

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

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

The city of museums

The two churches

A triumph of colour

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

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

A half-Baroque church

The Baroque town by the sea

Many owners, one palace

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

The interior and its masterpieces

Feast days

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

A museum to save a tradition

The Maiolica of the staircase

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

The Burgos crucifix

A long reconstruction

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

From International Gothic to present day

One city, three sites

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

A new site for a new city

The façade used as a puppet theatre

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

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

The Staircase of Angels

A hall for the feasts

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

New roads for Catania

A symbol for the town

The church of Carmine

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

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

A talking palace

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

A prominent church

The wall comes to life

A Nobel Prize in Modica

The chocolate of Modica

Feasting in Palazzolo

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

A colourful floor

Prominent façade

St. Sebastian, so much work!

One city, two sites

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra