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).

Between white and black

One city, two sites

A small room with a golden entrance

The internal colours

A Nobel Prize in Modica

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

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

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

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

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

A symbol for the town

The disastrous earthquake

Some prestigious works

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

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

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

A talking palace

The wall comes to life

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

A prominent church

The colours of the cathedral

A city in colour

A colourful floor

A triumph of colour

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

The Burgos crucifix

An eagle-shaped city

A new site for a new church

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

The façade used as a puppet theatre

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

A museum to save a tradition

The theatre of taste

St. Sebastian, so much work!

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

The Maiolica of the staircase

A majestic and luminous church

The Baroque town by the sea

Modica, a city with ancient origins

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

Limestone, the colour of harmony

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

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

A half-Baroque church

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

A new site for a new city

The church of Carmine

The interior and its masterpieces

A hall for the feasts

Some masterpieces

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

The city of museums

Searching for colour

A square as the heart of the city

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

Discovering the mother church

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

Connections with other UNESCO sites

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

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

A long reconstruction

A feast only for Scicli

A miniature city

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

Two illustrious patron saints

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

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

One city, three sites

The two churches

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

Norman apses

Feast days

Wonderful quick decorations

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

From International Gothic to present day

Prominent façade

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

The Staircase of Angels

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

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

The senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

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

The chocolate of Modica

Feasting in Palazzolo

Many owners, one palace

New roads for Catania