Noto

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

sight
A panorama over Noto

The terrace of Santa Chiara will take your breath away! Partly because of all the stairs you have to climb, but more so for the spectacular view.
The whole city of Noto is below you, where infinite shades of colours embellish the landscape.
The green of the trees and surrounding hills; the blue of the sea that shines brightly in the distance, illuminated by the sun like a carpet of diamonds; and the golden cathedral of San Nicolò whose façade and round dome can be seen. A show of lights and colours!vista dalla terrazza di Santa Chiara

touch
The warm stucco

The gilded stuccoes on the ceiling of Santa Chiara (St. Claire) shine in the sunlight.
To the touch they will always be warmer than any other cold marble statue or sculpture, which are unable to retain heat.
Like stucco, wood will also always be warmer than this precious and ice-cold stone.

hearing
A gentle song

The nuns’singing was remarkable.
During religious services the church was filled with sweet voices and gentle songs alternating with delicate prayers.
If you return to the 18th century in your mind you can still hear the engrossed nuns singing Gloria del Signore (Glory of the Lord).

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

The two churches

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

A new site for a new church

Some prestigious works

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

A new site for a new city

The Burgos crucifix

Norman apses

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

Feasting in Palazzolo

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

The interior and its masterpieces

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

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

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

Many owners, one palace

The city of museums

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

A square as the heart of the city

The Maiolica of the staircase

The façade used as a puppet theatre

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

The colours of the cathedral

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

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

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

Wonderful quick decorations

A feast only for Scicli

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

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

Prominent façade

Discovering the mother church

The chocolate of Modica

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

Searching for colour

The theatre of taste

A symbol for the town

Between white and black

The Baroque town by the sea

A colourful floor

A city in colour

Feast days

One city, two sites

Some masterpieces

A long reconstruction

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

Limestone, the colour of harmony

Modica, a city with ancient origins

New roads for Catania

A half-Baroque church

A museum to save a tradition

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

A small room with a golden entrance

A Nobel Prize in Modica

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

An eagle-shaped city

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

A miniature city

One city, three sites

The senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation

The wall comes to life

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

The Staircase of Angels

A prominent church

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

Two illustrious patron saints

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

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

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

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

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

The internal colours

Connections with other UNESCO sites

A triumph of colour

The church of Carmine

St. Sebastian, so much work!

From International Gothic to present day

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

The disastrous earthquake

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

A majestic and luminous church

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

A talking palace

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

A hall for the feasts