Noto

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

Corbels are one of the most characteristic elements of the palaces of the Val di Noto. They make the façades of the noble buildings unique and animated. Carefully designed and sculpted by the best artisans, the corbels of Palazzo Nicolaci liven up the street that shares the same name.
Each one was created according to a precise design, “the virtues of the Nicolaci”. You can see winged horses with their front legs reaching out to freedom, and winged figures looking to the future.
The central door is followed by sirens, symbols of spirituality, and the balcony of chimeras , monstrous mythological creatures with a lion’s face, symbols of power.
At the beginning and end there are two large corbels dedicated to the Nicolaci family, who went from being simple merchants to barons then princes, all of which is depicted by the metaphor of a child who grows up and becomes an adult.
It is a symbolic building of Baroque architecture and the political and economic power achieved by the family.
sirena balcone chimera balcone lateralmente

The senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation

A colourful floor

A talking palace

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

A miniature city

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

The Baroque town by the sea

A hall for the feasts

Norman apses

The Staircase of Angels

Feast days

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

A feast only for Scicli

An eagle-shaped city

The interior and its masterpieces

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

The colours of the cathedral

The chocolate of Modica

Many owners, one palace

Two illustrious patron saints

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

The two churches

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

New roads for Catania

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

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

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

The wall comes to life

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

A new site for a new church

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

A city in colour

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

A museum to save a tradition

Searching for colour

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

Wonderful quick decorations

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

The internal colours

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

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

The city of museums

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

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

A half-Baroque church

A new site for a new city

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

One city, three sites

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

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

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

Limestone, the colour of harmony

The façade used as a puppet theatre

Connections with other UNESCO sites

St. Sebastian, so much work!

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

The Maiolica of the staircase

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

A prominent church

Some masterpieces

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

A symbol for the town

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

The disastrous earthquake

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

A square as the heart of the city

Discovering the mother church

The Burgos crucifix

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

A triumph of colour

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

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

One city, two sites

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

The theatre of taste

Feasting in Palazzolo

The church of Carmine

A small room with a golden entrance

Modica, a city with ancient origins

A long reconstruction

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

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

Between white and black

From International Gothic to present day

Prominent façade

Some prestigious works

A majestic and luminous church

A Nobel Prize in Modica

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