Noto

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

The city was rebuilt in the aftermath of the tragic earthquake, and when the significant powers, clergy and aristocracy asked for their palaces to be rebuilt, it was the Baron Asmundo who divided the land perfectly.
Since the heart of the city in the lower area was the Cathedral, that was where the new palaces were built.Palazzo Nicolaci salendo via Nicolaci verso la chiesa To the right of the church are the religious buildings, the Archbishop’s Palace and the monastery of the Holy Saviour; on the land to the left the residences of the most influential aristocratic families in Noto were built, Palazzo Landolina and Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata.
The latter was built between 1720 and 1750 by Don Giacomo Nicolaci , on the present day Via Corrado Nicolaci.
The question of who the architect was has never been resolved; there are many theories and few certainties. However, it remains one of the most interesting and surprising buildings in Noto for the exuberant corbels that support the balconies of the façade and the round-bottomed wrought iron railings.

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

Many owners, one palace

The disastrous earthquake

Feast days

A Nobel Prize in Modica

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

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

From International Gothic to present day

The Staircase of Angels

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

St. Sebastian, so much work!

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

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

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

Some masterpieces

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

A hall for the feasts

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

Norman apses

A long reconstruction

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

The Baroque town by the sea

The Burgos crucifix

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

A city in colour

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

Limestone, the colour of harmony

Prominent façade

Between white and black

The two churches

The church of Carmine

A miniature city

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

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

New roads for Catania

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

One city, two sites

The Maiolica of the staircase

One city, three sites

A new site for a new church

The city of museums

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

The wall comes to life

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

The colours of the cathedral

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

The interior and its masterpieces

A majestic and luminous church

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

Discovering the mother church

Connections with other UNESCO sites

The internal colours

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

The chocolate of Modica

Two illustrious patron saints

The senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

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

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

A feast only for Scicli

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

A triumph of colour

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

A half-Baroque church

Wonderful quick decorations

A museum to save a tradition

A prominent church

A small room with a golden entrance

Feasting in Palazzolo

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

A square as the heart of the city

Some prestigious works

The façade used as a puppet theatre

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

A talking palace

An eagle-shaped city

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

A new site for a new city

A colourful floor

Searching for colour

A symbol for the town

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

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

Modica, a city with ancient origins

The theatre of taste

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara