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 prominent church

Between white and black

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

Limestone, the colour of harmony

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

Connections with other UNESCO sites

Feast days

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

The façade used as a puppet theatre

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

A city in colour

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

A talking palace

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

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

A colourful floor

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

The Baroque town by the sea

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

New roads for Catania

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

A triumph of colour

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

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

The disastrous earthquake

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

Some prestigious works

Some masterpieces

Two illustrious patron saints

The Staircase of Angels

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

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

The internal colours

The Burgos crucifix

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

A long reconstruction

Feasting in Palazzolo

The senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation

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

One city, two sites

A miniature city

The Maiolica of the staircase

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

A square as the heart of the city

Prominent façade

A new site for a new city

A symbol for the town

The two churches

From International Gothic to present day

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

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

A hall for the feasts

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

Wonderful quick decorations

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

The city of museums

A new site for a new church

A half-Baroque church

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

Modica, a city with ancient origins

A majestic and luminous church

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

St. Sebastian, so much work!

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

The colours of the cathedral

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

The church of Carmine

The theatre of taste

A Nobel Prize in Modica

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

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

Discovering the mother church

The chocolate of Modica

A feast only for Scicli

Norman apses

An eagle-shaped city

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

A small room with a golden entrance

Searching for colour

One city, three sites

The interior and its masterpieces

A museum to save a tradition

The wall comes to life

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

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

Many owners, one palace