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).

St. Sebastian, so much work!

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

A colourful floor

A new site for a new church

The church of Carmine

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

The façade used as a puppet theatre

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

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

One city, two sites

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

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

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

A symbol for the town

A hall for the feasts

The chocolate of Modica

A talking palace

Wonderful quick decorations

A city in colour

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

Some prestigious works

A new site for a new city

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

Modica, a city with ancient origins

Norman apses

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

A small room with a golden entrance

The colours of the cathedral

Limestone, the colour of harmony

A prominent church

Feasting in Palazzolo

The Burgos crucifix

Searching for colour

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

The disastrous earthquake

Feast days

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

The wall comes to life

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

The Maiolica of the staircase

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

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

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

Connections with other UNESCO sites

A miniature city

The two churches

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

One city, three sites

A majestic and luminous church

Discovering the mother church

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

A Nobel Prize in Modica

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

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

Between white and black

Prominent façade

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

Many owners, one palace

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

A square as the heart of the city

A museum to save a tradition

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

Some masterpieces

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

A long reconstruction

The theatre of taste

The Baroque town by the sea

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

The city of museums

The Staircase of Angels

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

The senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation

Two illustrious patron saints

The internal colours

A half-Baroque church

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

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

From International Gothic to present day

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

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

New roads for Catania

A triumph of colour

A feast only for Scicli

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

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

The interior and its masterpieces

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

An eagle-shaped city