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).

Prominent façade

An eagle-shaped city

Connections with other UNESCO sites

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

Feasting in Palazzolo

A colourful floor

The interior and its masterpieces

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

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

A talking palace

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

The Staircase of Angels

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

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

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

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

A feast only for Scicli

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

A miniature city

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

The theatre of taste

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

The internal colours

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

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

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

The Burgos crucifix

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

The disastrous earthquake

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

A new site for a new city

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

A symbol for the town

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

A new site for a new church

Between white and black

From International Gothic to present day

Feast days

Searching for colour

The Baroque town by the sea

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

A triumph of colour

The Maiolica of the staircase

A museum to save a tradition

A half-Baroque church

A square as the heart of the city

The façade used as a puppet theatre

A small room with a golden entrance

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

Some masterpieces

Two illustrious patron saints

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

Many owners, one palace

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

A prominent church

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

A hall for the feasts

Wonderful quick decorations

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

A Nobel Prize in Modica

A city in colour

The city of museums

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 the Annunciation

Discovering the mother church

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

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

A long reconstruction

The chocolate of Modica

St. Sebastian, so much work!

Limestone, the colour of harmony

The church of Carmine

One city, two sites

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

The wall comes to life

Some prestigious works

Norman apses

A majestic and luminous church

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

Modica, a city with ancient origins

The two churches

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

The colours of the cathedral

One city, three sites

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

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

New roads for Catania

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto