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 two churches

A new site for a new church

A feast only for Scicli

The city of museums

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

The internal colours

Some prestigious works

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

A half-Baroque church

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

A square as the heart of the city

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

Feast days

A long reconstruction

Norman apses

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

St. Sebastian, so much work!

Prominent façade

One city, two sites

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

New roads for Catania

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

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

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

Limestone, the colour of harmony

One city, three sites

From International Gothic to present day

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

The interior and its masterpieces

A triumph of colour

Between white and black

A small room with a golden entrance

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

A colourful floor

The façade used as a puppet theatre

Two illustrious patron saints

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

Discovering the mother church

A symbol for the town

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

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

Wonderful quick decorations

A city in colour

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

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

The Maiolica of the staircase

Connections with other UNESCO sites

The church of Carmine

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

A Nobel Prize in Modica

A museum to save a tradition

The Staircase of Angels

Searching for colour

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

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

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

An eagle-shaped city

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

A hall for the feasts

The Baroque town by the sea

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

Modica, a city with ancient origins

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

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

A talking palace

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

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

Some masterpieces

The senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

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

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

The chocolate of Modica

A miniature city

The Burgos crucifix

The colours of the cathedral

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

The disastrous earthquake

Many owners, one palace

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

A majestic and luminous church

The theatre of taste

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

A prominent church

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

The wall comes to life

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

Feasting in Palazzolo

A new site for a new city