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.

Searching for colour

An eagle-shaped city

Connections with other UNESCO sites

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

New roads for Catania

A prominent church

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

The church of Carmine

A triumph of colour

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

The Maiolica of the staircase

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

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

The interior and its masterpieces

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

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

The Burgos crucifix

Wonderful quick decorations

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

A feast only for Scicli

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

St. Sebastian, so much work!

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

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

Feasting in Palazzolo

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

The Staircase of Angels

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

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

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

The two churches

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

A miniature city

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

The façade used as a puppet theatre

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

Some prestigious works

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

Feast days

The internal colours

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

Two illustrious patron saints

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

A Nobel Prize in Modica

A half-Baroque church

Norman apses

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

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

The chocolate of Modica

A small room with a golden entrance

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

Many owners, one palace

A majestic and luminous church

Limestone, the colour of harmony

One city, three sites

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

A new site for a new city

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

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

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

The disastrous earthquake

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

The Baroque town by the sea

The theatre of taste

The colours of the cathedral

The wall comes to life

Some masterpieces

Discovering the mother church

From International Gothic to present day

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

A museum to save a tradition

The city of museums

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

A symbol for the town

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

Prominent façade

A hall for the feasts

Modica, a city with ancient origins

One city, two sites

A colourful floor

The senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

A square as the heart of the city

A talking palace

A city in colour

A new site for a new church

A long reconstruction

Between white and black