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.

A museum to save a tradition

Two illustrious patron saints

The Maiolica of the staircase

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

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

One city, three sites

A square as the heart of the city

The chocolate of Modica

New roads for Catania

The colours of the cathedral

St. Sebastian, so much work!

Many owners, one palace

The Baroque town by the sea

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

Feast days

A feast only for Scicli

Feasting in Palazzolo

A city in colour

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

Some prestigious works

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

A miniature city

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

A long reconstruction

A half-Baroque church

Prominent façade

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

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

An eagle-shaped city

A new site for a new church

One city, two sites

The disastrous earthquake

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

The two churches

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

A symbol for the town

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

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

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

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

Searching for colour

The theatre of taste

Modica, a city with ancient origins

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

The wall comes to life

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

A hall for the feasts

A Nobel Prize in Modica

The interior and its masterpieces

Limestone, the colour of harmony

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

A talking palace

Connections with other UNESCO sites

The façade used as a puppet theatre

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

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

A new site for a new city

Wonderful quick decorations

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

The Staircase of Angels

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

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

The senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation

A colourful floor

A prominent church

Norman apses

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

A small room with a golden entrance

From International Gothic to present day

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

Discovering the mother church

The city of museums

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

A triumph of colour

A majestic and luminous church

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

The church of Carmine

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

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

The internal colours

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

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

Between white and black

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

The Burgos crucifix

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

Some masterpieces