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 disastrous earthquake

New roads for Catania

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

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

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

The Staircase of Angels

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

A triumph of colour

Between white and black

Modica, a city with ancient origins

A talking palace

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

St. Sebastian, so much work!

The interior and its masterpieces

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

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

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

A new site for a new city

A new site for a new church

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

A hall for the feasts

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

From International Gothic to present day

Discovering the mother church

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

The colours of the cathedral

The city of museums

A symbol for the town

The internal colours

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

The chocolate of Modica

Two illustrious patron saints

Prominent façade

Limestone, the colour of harmony

A colourful floor

Some prestigious works

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

A half-Baroque church

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

Norman apses

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

A miniature city

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

One city, three sites

The senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation

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

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

The theatre of taste

Wonderful quick decorations

Feasting in Palazzolo

Some masterpieces

A museum to save a tradition

An eagle-shaped city

Connections with other UNESCO sites

A feast only for Scicli

The Baroque town by the sea

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

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

A long reconstruction

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

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

Searching for colour

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

Feast days

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

A small room with a golden entrance

The wall comes to life

The Maiolica of the staircase

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

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

The two churches

A majestic and luminous church

The façade used as a puppet theatre

Many owners, one palace

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

A prominent church

A square as the heart of the city

A city in colour

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

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

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

One city, two sites

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

The church of Carmine

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

A Nobel Prize in Modica

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

The Burgos crucifix

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

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