Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Flattened by the devastating earthquake of 1693, Noto was grandly rebuilt by its nobles
into the finest baroque town in Sicily. Now a Unesco World Heritage Site, the town is es-
pecially impressive in the early evening, when its golden-hued sandstone buildings seem
to glow with a soft inner light, and at night when illuminations accentuate the beauty of its
intricately carved facades. The baroque masterpiece is the work of Rosario Gagliardi and
his assistant, Vincenzo Sinatra, local architects who also worked in Ragusa and Modica.
Sights
Two piazzas break up the long Corso Vittorio Emanuele: Piazza dell'Immacolata to the
east and Piazza XVI Maggio to the west. The latter is overlooked by the beautiful Chiesa
di San Domenico and the adjacent Dominican monastery, both designed by Rosario
Gagliardi. On the same square, Noto's elegant 19th-century Teatro Comunale is worth a
look. For sweeping views of Noto's baroque splendour, climb to the rooftop terrace at
Ch-
iesa di Santa Chiara
(Corso Vittorio Emanuele; admission €2; 9.30am-1pm & 3-7pm)
or the
cam-
panile
(bell tower) of
Chiesa di San Carlo al Corso
(Corso Vittorio Emanuele; admission €2;
9am-12.30pm & 4-7pm)
.
Cattedrale di San Nicolò
(
www.cattedralenoto.it
; Piazza Municipio; 9am-1pm & 3-8pm)
Pride of place in Noto goes to the
renovated San Nicolò Cathedral. On 16 March 1996 the town was horrified when the roof
and dome of the cathedral collapsed during a thunderstorm - luckily it was 10.30pm and
the cathedral was empty. In 2007 the cathedral reopened, scrubbed of centuries of dust
and dirt and once again gleaming in its peachy glow.
CATHEDRAL
Piazza Municipio
In the centre of Noto's most graceful square is the Cattedrale di San Nicolò, surrounded
by elegant town houses such as Palazzo Landolina, once home to Noto's oldest noble fam-
ily, and Palazzo Ducezio (Town Hall), best known for its Sala degli Specchi (Hall of Mir-
rors).
SQUARE
Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata
( 320 556 80 38;
www.palazzonicolaci.it
;
Via Nicolaci; adult/reduced €4/2; 10am-1pm & 3-7.30pm)
In the Palazzo Villadorata, the wrought-iron balconies are supported by a swirling panto-
mime of grotesque figures. Although empty of furnishings, the richly brocaded walls and
frescoed ceilings of the
palazzo
give an idea of the sumptuous lifestyle of Sicilian nobles,
PALACE
