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.

Discovering the mother church

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

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

A prominent church

The Baroque town by the sea

A feast only for Scicli

Wonderful quick decorations

A talking palace

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

A half-Baroque church

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

The Staircase of Angels

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

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

A colourful floor

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

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

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

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

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

The senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation

A Nobel Prize in Modica

Feasting in Palazzolo

The disastrous earthquake

The city of museums

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

Limestone, the colour of harmony

Between white and black

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

The church of Carmine

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

The interior and its masterpieces

A triumph of colour

A small room with a golden entrance

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

A square as the heart of the city

The Maiolica of the staircase

Modica, a city with ancient origins

A new site for a new church

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

Norman apses

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

A miniature city

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

St. Sebastian, so much work!

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

Connections with other UNESCO sites

The Burgos crucifix

Prominent façade

The chocolate of Modica

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

Feast days

Some prestigious works

One city, two sites

Two illustrious patron saints

A symbol for the town

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

New roads for Catania

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

A new site for a new city

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

The colours of the cathedral

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

The internal colours

One city, three sites

The wall comes to life

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

Searching for colour

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

Some masterpieces

A long reconstruction

The theatre of taste

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

Many owners, one palace

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

The two churches

A museum to save a tradition

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

A hall for the feasts

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

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

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

A city in colour

An eagle-shaped city

A majestic and luminous church

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

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

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

From International Gothic to present day

The façade used as a puppet theatre