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.

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

The chocolate of Modica

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

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

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

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

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

A small room with a golden entrance

Searching for colour

One city, three sites

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

Discovering the mother church

The internal colours

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

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

A colourful floor

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

Wonderful quick decorations

A half-Baroque church

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

A majestic and luminous church

The Staircase of Angels

The disastrous earthquake

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

A feast only for Scicli

The senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation

Feast days

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

A long reconstruction

St. Sebastian, so much work!

The two churches

The Burgos crucifix

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

The Baroque town by the sea

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

A miniature city

A new site for a new church

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

The theatre of taste

Prominent façade

New roads for Catania

The city of museums

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

Norman apses

The façade used as a puppet theatre

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

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

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

Some prestigious works

A triumph of colour

A square as the heart of the city

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

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

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

Two illustrious patron saints

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

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

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

The Maiolica of the staircase

A museum to save a tradition

A Nobel Prize in Modica

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

The colours of the cathedral

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

A new site for a new city

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

A hall for the feasts

The interior and its masterpieces

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

The wall comes to life

Some masterpieces

Many owners, one palace

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

The church of Carmine

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

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

A talking palace

Connections with other UNESCO sites

From International Gothic to present day

A city in colour

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

Modica, a city with ancient origins

An eagle-shaped city

One city, two sites

Feasting in Palazzolo

Limestone, the colour of harmony

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

Between white and black

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

A prominent church

A symbol for the town

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century