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 the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

A long reconstruction

A symbol for the town

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

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

The Baroque town by the sea

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

The colours of the cathedral

Searching for colour

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

Between white and black

Feasting in Palazzolo

A square as the heart of the city

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

A half-Baroque church

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

Many owners, one palace

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

Discovering the mother church

Some prestigious works

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

From International Gothic to present day

Connections with other UNESCO sites

The church of Carmine

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

The senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation

One city, three sites

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

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

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

The Burgos crucifix

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

A new site for a new church

A colourful floor

A small room with a golden entrance

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

Some masterpieces

Two illustrious patron saints

Wonderful quick decorations

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

The chocolate of Modica

New roads for Catania

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

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

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

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

The façade used as a puppet theatre

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

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

The two churches

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

Limestone, the colour of harmony

The internal colours

A prominent church

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

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

A city in colour

A hall for the feasts

The theatre of taste

The Maiolica of the staircase

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

One city, two sites

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

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

A majestic and luminous church

A talking palace

A triumph of colour

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

A museum to save a tradition

Modica, a city with ancient origins

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

The wall comes to life

An eagle-shaped city

A new site for a new city

Feast days

St. Sebastian, so much work!

Prominent façade

Norman apses

The city of museums

A feast only for Scicli

The Staircase of Angels

The interior and its masterpieces

The disastrous earthquake

A miniature city

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

A Nobel Prize in Modica