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).

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

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

Limestone, the colour of harmony

A museum to save a tradition

The interior and its masterpieces

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

The city of museums

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

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

The colours of the cathedral

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

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

St. Sebastian, so much work!

The Maiolica of the staircase

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

A half-Baroque church

A hall for the feasts

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

A small room with a golden entrance

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

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

A colourful floor

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

Wonderful quick decorations

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

A Nobel Prize in Modica

Norman apses

A talking palace

Modica, a city with ancient origins

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

A new site for a new church

The two churches

A square as the heart of the city

The senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation

A long reconstruction

A miniature city

Feast days

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

Many owners, one palace

The internal colours

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

Searching for colour

The wall comes to life

A feast only for Scicli

Two illustrious patron saints

Feasting in Palazzolo

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

Some masterpieces

The theatre of taste

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

The chocolate of Modica

A new site for a new city

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

One city, two sites

A symbol for the town

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

The Burgos crucifix

An eagle-shaped city

One city, three sites

A prominent church

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

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

Connections with other UNESCO sites

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

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

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

The disastrous earthquake

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

New roads for Catania

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

Between white and black

The Staircase of Angels

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

A city in colour

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

The church of Carmine

A majestic and luminous church

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

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

A triumph of colour

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

From International Gothic to present day

Prominent façade

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

The façade used as a puppet theatre

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

The Baroque town by the sea

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

Discovering the mother church

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

Some prestigious works