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 new site for a new city

The internal colours

The chocolate of Modica

Feast days

One city, three sites

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

A new site for a new church

The interior and its masterpieces

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

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

The church of Carmine

A half-Baroque church

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

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

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

A prominent church

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

Discovering the mother church

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

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

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

A miniature city

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

The city of museums

An eagle-shaped city

New roads for Catania

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

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

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

Feasting in Palazzolo

The Baroque town by the sea

Norman apses

A symbol for the town

From International Gothic to present day

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

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

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

The Maiolica of the staircase

The Burgos crucifix

The façade used as a puppet theatre

St. Sebastian, so much work!

The theatre of taste

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

A city in colour

The Staircase of Angels

The disastrous earthquake

Prominent façade

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

A majestic and luminous church

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

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

Some prestigious works

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

The colours of the cathedral

A talking palace

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

The two churches

Limestone, the colour of harmony

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

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

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

Between white and black

Some masterpieces

Searching for colour

A long reconstruction

A square as the heart of the city

Two illustrious patron saints

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

Wonderful quick decorations

A museum to save a tradition

A triumph of colour

One city, two sites

A hall for the feasts

The senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation

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

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

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

A feast only for Scicli

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

Many owners, one palace

A small room with a golden entrance

A colourful floor

Modica, a city with ancient origins

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

A Nobel Prize in Modica

The wall comes to life

Connections with other UNESCO sites