Noto

Limestone, the colour of harmony

The harmonious architecture and homogeneity of Noto stone create such a scenic balance that the city looks as though it were built in one night.
Noto was actually built over half a century by various architects and craftspeople. Noto omogeneita e l'armonia archtettureThe work of the architect Angelo Italia was fundamental: he organised the city space and created splendid scenographic effects, transforming squares and streets into stages.
No less important was Rosario Gagliardi .
His constant presence in Noto allowed him to closely monitor all of his construction sites and to teach and prepare new, young architects. Upon his death, his works were completed by one of his students, Vincenzo Sinatra , who never forgot the expert’s teachings.
None of this could have been achieved without good basic organisation.
Thanks to Baron Giuseppe Asmundo, the land for constructing the new buildings was allocated fairly and the height of the buildings was also clearly defined. In this way, the buildings were all the same, creating a harmonious and homogeneous landscape.
The choice of white limestone , was also important.This local stone, when lit up by the sun, takes on a golden yellow colour reminiscent of honey.Its appearance has remained unchanged over the centuries; minimal interventions were made and you can still admire it in all its beauty and grace today.The effect is a landscape wrapped in an ethereal light.

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

A Nobel Prize in Modica

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

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 Battista

The disastrous earthquake

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

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

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

A majestic and luminous church

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

New roads for Catania

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

The chocolate of Modica

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

A half-Baroque church

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

Some masterpieces

A prominent church

A symbol for the town

The theatre of taste

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

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

Limestone, the colour of harmony

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

Prominent façade

The Maiolica of the staircase

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

A long reconstruction

St. Sebastian, so much work!

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

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

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

Feast days

A hall for the feasts

The Baroque town by the sea

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

A talking palace

Many owners, one palace

The city of museums

A colourful floor

One city, three sites

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

A feast only for Scicli

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

The Staircase of Angels

Searching for colour

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

From International Gothic to present day

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

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

Two illustrious patron saints

An eagle-shaped city

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

Wonderful quick decorations

Norman apses

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

Some prestigious works

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

Between white and black

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

The interior and its masterpieces

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

Modica, a city with ancient origins

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

A museum to save a tradition

A city in colour

The colours of the cathedral

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

Connections with other UNESCO sites

A small room with a golden entrance

The internal colours

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

The façade used as a puppet theatre

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

One city, two sites

The wall comes to life

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

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

The senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation

A miniature city

A new site for a new city

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

Feasting in Palazzolo

A new site for a new church

The two churches

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

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

A triumph of colour

The church of Carmine