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 San Giuliano ai Crociferi

A hall for the feasts

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

A long reconstruction

Limestone, the colour of harmony

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

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

New roads for Catania

A new site for a new church

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

An eagle-shaped city

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

The church of Carmine

A new site for a new city

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

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

The interior and its masterpieces

A square as the heart of the city

The wall comes to life

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

A Nobel Prize in Modica

A majestic and luminous church

Prominent façade

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

Some prestigious works

A feast only for Scicli

Feasting in Palazzolo

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

Discovering the mother church

A triumph of colour

Searching for colour

A city in colour

The Baroque town by the sea

One city, two sites

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

One city, three sites

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

Feast days

The theatre of taste

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

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

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

The colours of the cathedral

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

The façade used as a puppet theatre

The Burgos crucifix

A prominent church

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

A talking palace

A museum to save a tradition

Modica, a city with ancient origins

The chocolate of Modica

The two churches

The disastrous earthquake

The Staircase of Angels

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

Some masterpieces

Two illustrious patron saints

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

Many owners, one palace

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

The internal colours

St. Sebastian, so much work!

A small room with a golden entrance

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

The city of museums

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

A symbol for the town

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

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

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

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

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

The Maiolica of the staircase

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

Norman apses

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

Between white and black

From International Gothic to present day

A miniature city

A half-Baroque church

A colourful floor

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

The senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

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

Wonderful quick decorations

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

Connections with other UNESCO sites