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 Mother Church of San Nicolò and of the Santissimo Salvatore

The Baroque town by the sea

St. Sebastian, so much work!

The theatre of taste

A prominent church

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

A feast only for Scicli

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

A long reconstruction

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

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

Feasting in Palazzolo

Many owners, one palace

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

A museum to save a tradition

A small room with a golden entrance

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

Some prestigious works

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

The two churches

A new site for a new church

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

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

A symbol for the town

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

A majestic and luminous church

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

Two illustrious patron saints

Modica, a city with ancient origins

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

From International Gothic to present day

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

The city of museums

A miniature city

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

A hall for the feasts

The façade used as a puppet theatre

An eagle-shaped city

The colours of the cathedral

Between white and black

A city in colour

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

Norman apses

The wall comes to life

A square as the heart of the city

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

Wonderful quick decorations

The chocolate of Modica

A triumph of colour

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

The interior and its masterpieces

The senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation

Searching for colour

Limestone, the colour of harmony

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

Prominent façade

A talking palace

A Nobel Prize in Modica

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

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

The internal colours

A new site for a new city

Discovering the mother church

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

The Burgos crucifix

The Maiolica of the staircase

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

The church of Carmine

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

One city, two sites

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

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

The disastrous earthquake

A half-Baroque church

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

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

One city, three sites

Some masterpieces

The Staircase of Angels

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

Feast days

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

Connections with other UNESCO sites

A colourful floor

New roads for Catania

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

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