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.

Connections with other UNESCO sites

A new site for a new church

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

Norman apses

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

St. Sebastian, so much work!

A miniature city

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

A colourful floor

Searching for colour

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

The church of Carmine

Two illustrious patron saints

A prominent church

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

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

The senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation

The chocolate of Modica

New roads for Catania

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

A triumph of colour

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

A long reconstruction

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

An eagle-shaped city

Prominent façade

One city, two sites

Limestone, the colour of harmony

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

The Maiolica of the staircase

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

A city in colour

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

Between white and black

One city, three sites

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

Wonderful quick decorations

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

A symbol for the town

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

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

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

A small room with a golden entrance

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

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

The façade used as a puppet theatre

Some masterpieces

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

The city of museums

The Burgos crucifix

The colours of the cathedral

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

Feast days

A majestic and luminous church

Some prestigious works

The wall comes to life

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

The internal colours

The Baroque town by the sea

A half-Baroque church

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

From International Gothic to present day

A feast only for Scicli

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

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

The disastrous earthquake

Many owners, one palace

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

A square as the heart of the city

Modica, a city with ancient origins

A hall for the feasts

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

A talking palace

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

The theatre of taste

A museum to save a tradition

A new site for a new city

The Staircase of Angels

Feasting in Palazzolo

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

A Nobel Prize in Modica

The two churches

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

Discovering the mother church

The interior and its masterpieces

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

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo