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).

An eagle-shaped city

The disastrous earthquake

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

The theatre of taste

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

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

The interior and its masterpieces

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

Connections with other UNESCO sites

A Nobel Prize in Modica

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

Feast days

The senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation

Some prestigious works

A symbol for the town

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

Feasting in Palazzolo

A square as the heart of the city

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

Discovering the mother church

Norman apses

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

A triumph of colour

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

A half-Baroque church

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

The Baroque town by the sea

The Burgos crucifix

Wonderful quick decorations

A feast only for Scicli

A hall for the feasts

Between white and black

A new site for a new church

The Maiolica of the staircase

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

Prominent façade

The colours of the cathedral

Searching for colour

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

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

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

A museum to save a tradition

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

A long reconstruction

The church of Carmine

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

The city of museums

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

Many owners, one palace

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

A prominent church

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

Limestone, the colour of harmony

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

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

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

The Staircase of Angels

A new site for a new city

A miniature city

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

St. Sebastian, so much work!

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

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

A city in colour

A talking palace

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

One city, three sites

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

One city, two sites

Some masterpieces

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

A majestic and luminous church

Modica, a city with ancient origins

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

Two illustrious patron saints

The internal colours

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

New roads for Catania

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

From International Gothic to present day

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

The façade used as a puppet theatre

The chocolate of Modica

The wall comes to life

A small room with a golden entrance

The two churches

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

A colourful floor