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).

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

Limestone, the colour of harmony

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

Feast days

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

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

Feasting in Palazzolo

New roads for Catania

A feast only for Scicli

An eagle-shaped city

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

Modica, a city with ancient origins

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

Two illustrious patron saints

The wall comes to life

The internal colours

The church of Carmine

The façade used as a puppet theatre

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

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

One city, two sites

One city, three sites

A new site for a new church

Connections with other UNESCO sites

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

A long reconstruction

A triumph of colour

A symbol for the town

The Staircase of Angels

The Maiolica of the staircase

The two churches

Wonderful quick decorations

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

Discovering the mother church

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

Between white and black

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

A city in colour

Some prestigious works

The theatre of taste

Some masterpieces

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

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

The chocolate of Modica

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

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

A half-Baroque church

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

A small room with a golden entrance

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

A majestic and luminous church

The Burgos crucifix

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

A hall for the feasts

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

A colourful floor

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

A miniature city

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

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

A museum to save a tradition

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

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

A talking palace

A Nobel Prize in Modica

The city of museums

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

Many owners, one palace

A new site for a new city

Searching for colour

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

From International Gothic to present day

The interior and its masterpieces

The Baroque town by the sea

The senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation

Norman apses

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

The colours of the cathedral

A square as the heart of the city

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

A prominent church

Prominent façade

St. Sebastian, so much work!

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

The disastrous earthquake

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