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 triumph of colour

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

A symbol for the town

The chocolate of Modica

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

The church of Carmine

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

A prominent church

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

A colourful floor

A long reconstruction

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

One city, three sites

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

A new site for a new city

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

Prominent façade

One city, two sites

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

Searching for colour

The wall comes to life

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

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

Discovering the mother church

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

A new site for a new church

St. Sebastian, so much work!

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

The interior and its masterpieces

Two illustrious patron saints

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

The internal colours

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

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

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

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

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

A museum to save a tradition

A Nobel Prize in Modica

Feast days

The disastrous earthquake

An eagle-shaped city

New roads for Catania

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

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

From International Gothic to present day

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

Norman apses

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

A half-Baroque church

Feasting in Palazzolo

Between white and black

The city of museums

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

A feast only for Scicli

The theatre of taste

Modica, a city with ancient origins

The Burgos crucifix

A majestic and luminous church

A talking palace

A small room with a golden entrance

The senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

Limestone, the colour of harmony

The two churches

Wonderful quick decorations

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

The façade used as a puppet theatre

A hall for the feasts

The Staircase of Angels

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

Some prestigious works

The Baroque town by the sea

The colours of the cathedral

Many owners, one palace

A miniature city

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

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

A city in colour

A square as the heart of the city

Some masterpieces

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

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

Connections with other UNESCO sites

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

The Maiolica of the staircase

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church