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).

One city, three sites

The Staircase of Angels

Limestone, the colour of harmony

A symbol for the town

The chocolate of Modica

The disastrous earthquake

The colours of the cathedral

A square as the heart of the city

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

The city of museums

Feasting in Palazzolo

Many owners, one palace

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

A museum to save a tradition

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

A long reconstruction

From International Gothic to present day

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

A triumph of colour

The senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation

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

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

The theatre of taste

The church of Carmine

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

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

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

Modica, a city with ancient origins

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

Discovering the mother church

A half-Baroque church

A talking palace

A majestic and luminous church

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

A hall for the feasts

Prominent façade

Norman apses

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

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

Some masterpieces

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

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

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

Some prestigious works

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

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

The wall comes to life

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

One city, two sites

The interior and its masterpieces

A new site for a new church

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

A city in colour

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

The Baroque town by the sea

A miniature city

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

The façade used as a puppet theatre

Searching for colour

Wonderful quick decorations

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

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

A colourful floor

The Maiolica of the staircase

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

The Burgos crucifix

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

A prominent church

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

New roads for Catania

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

The two churches

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

The internal colours

An eagle-shaped city

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

A small room with a golden entrance

St. Sebastian, so much work!

A feast only for Scicli

Two illustrious patron saints

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

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

Between white and black

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

Feast days

A Nobel Prize in Modica

Connections with other UNESCO sites

A new site for a new city

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours