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.

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

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

The two churches

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

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

Discovering the mother church

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

A Nobel Prize in Modica

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

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

The Baroque town by the sea

The theatre of taste

Connections with other UNESCO sites

A hall for the feasts

A new site for a new city

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

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

The façade used as a puppet theatre

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

An eagle-shaped city

The city of museums

Searching for colour

New roads for Catania

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

From International Gothic to present day

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

A symbol for the town

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

The church of Carmine

A city in colour

A prominent church

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

A talking palace

Between white and black

A square as the heart of the city

The colours of the cathedral

Feasting in Palazzolo

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

Two illustrious patron saints

Prominent façade

The Burgos crucifix

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

The senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation

Many owners, one palace

A new site for a new church

Limestone, the colour of harmony

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

A triumph of colour

One city, two sites

The chocolate of Modica

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

The disastrous earthquake

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

The wall comes to life

A majestic and luminous church

Wonderful quick decorations

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

A small room with a golden entrance

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

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

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

One city, three sites

Norman apses

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

Some prestigious works

A miniature city

A feast only for Scicli

The internal colours

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

Some masterpieces

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

The Maiolica of the staircase

A long reconstruction

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

A museum to save a tradition

St. Sebastian, so much work!

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

The Staircase of Angels

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

Feast days

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

The interior and its masterpieces

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

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

A colourful floor

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

A half-Baroque church

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

Modica, a city with ancient origins

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe