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).

A majestic and luminous church

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

Wonderful quick decorations

Searching for colour

The Burgos crucifix

A Nobel Prize in Modica

The chocolate of Modica

From International Gothic to present day

The senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation

Discovering the mother church

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

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

Limestone, the colour of harmony

A half-Baroque church

St. Sebastian, so much work!

A triumph of colour

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

A long reconstruction

The wall comes to life

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

The interior and its masterpieces

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

The city of museums

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

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

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

The church of Carmine

A feast only for Scicli

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

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

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

A colourful floor

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

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

A miniature city

The façade used as a puppet theatre

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

Two illustrious patron saints

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

A hall for the feasts

Norman apses

The Maiolica of the staircase

The disastrous earthquake

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

Prominent façade

The Staircase of Angels

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

A new site for a new church

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

Feasting in Palazzolo

The Baroque town by the sea

A talking palace

An eagle-shaped city

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

A museum to save a tradition

A symbol for the town

The two churches

New roads for Catania

The internal colours

Modica, a city with ancient origins

A small room with a golden entrance

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

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

One city, three sites

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

The theatre of taste

Feast days

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

A new site for a new city

A prominent church

Connections with other UNESCO sites

Some masterpieces

One city, two sites

The colours of the cathedral

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

A square as the heart of the city

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

Some prestigious works

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

A city in colour

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

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

Between white and black

Many owners, one palace