Noto in Sicily

Noto in Sicily is presented by Alessandro Sorbello Sorbello Productions http://www.alessandrosorbello.com as part of the Sensational Sicily Project http://www.sensationalsicily.com. See the channel here http://www.youtube.com/view_play_list?p=C499575AA6A898A8 Noto, Comune di Noto Noto is "a living book". It is a stone garden, on every corner of which capitals, baroque friezes, churches and noble palaces will be found. There are cities and countries exist which, by their names, recall the purity and the harmony of art. Noto, is one of them; with its architectural and cultural beauties, it arouses in the visitors the greatest idea of what the men of talent created in this temple of live stones. The city, honoured recently by UNESCO with the title of "cultural patrimony of humanity", represents the emblem of wealth and luxury in the Baroque age in Sicily. Palaces of yellowish stone to the tourists, so similar to the colour of the flesh, and unexpected treasures, scattered in the territory, containing stories of ancient civilizations are offered. Searching for Accommodation in Noto? http://www.accommodationsicily.com/Italy/Sicily/Siracusa/Noto/Accommodation.htm Scattered like valuables in a vast territory, sanctuaries and ruins of ancient cities such as Eloro, Ancient Noto can be found. Wonderful beaches and the Oasis of Vendicari, a natural reserve, a mild climate, mountain paths, ancient villages, castles, caves, churches and convents are wonders without equal, in Noto. It is a suggestion difficult to forget, when from the top of its bell towers or from above a palace, the city and the valley, licked up by the sea, can be admired. Be amazed by the art, the culture, the traditions, the sea and the sun of the most beautiful city of Sicily. Country Italy, Region, Sicily, Province Syracuse (SR), Elevation 152 m, Area 550.86 km², Population Total (as of December 31, 2004), 23,346 Density 42/km² Time zone CET, UTC+1, Gentilic Notinesi or Netini, Dialing code 0931, Postal code 96017, Frazioni, Marina di Noto, Testa dell'Acqua Patron San Corrado Confalonieri, Day February 19 Website: http://www.comune.noto.sr.it Noto is a city in Sicily, Italy, in the Province of Syracuse, 32 km southwest of the city of Syracuse, at the feet of the Iblei Mountains. The city gives its name to the surrounding valley, Val di Noto. In 2002 Noto and its church were declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site. History The older town, Noto Antica, lies 8 km directly north on Mount Alveria. It was ancient Netum, a city of Sicel origin, left to Hiero II by the Romans by the treaty of 263 BCE and mentioned by Cicero as a foederala citilas (Verr. v. 51, 133), and by Pliny as Latinae conditionis (Hist. Nat. iii. 8. 14). According to legend, Dedalus stopped here after his flight over the Ionian Sea, as well as Hercules, after his seventh task. In the Roman era, it opposed praetor Verres. In 866 it was conquered by the Arabs, who elevated to a capital city of one of three districts of the island (the Val di Noto). Later it was a rich Norman city. In the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries, the city brought forth several notable intellectual figures, including Giovanni Aurispa, jurists Andrea Barbazio and Antonio Corsetto, as well as the architect Matteo Carnelivari: in 1503 king Ferdinand III gave it the title of civitas ingeniosa ("ingenious city"). In the following centuries, the city expanded enlarging its medieval limits; and new buildings, churches and convents were built. These, however, were all totally destroyed by the earthquake of January 11, 1693. The devastation of the city on Mount Alveria was accompanied by its economy, which relied mainly on agricultural products -- vine, oil, cereals, rice, cotton -- and its renowned handicrafts. The current town, rebuilt after the earthquake on the left bank of River Asinaro, was planned on a grid system by Giovanni Battista Landolina. This new city occupied a position nearer to the Ionian Sea. The presence of architects like Rosario Gagliardi, Francesco Sortino and others, made the new Noto a masterpiece of Sicilian Baroque, dubbed the "Stone Garden" by Cesare Brandi and is currently listed among UNESCO's World Heritage Sites. The new structures are characterized by a soft tufa stone, which under sunlight assumes a typical honey tonality. The city, which had lost its provincial capital status in 1817, rebelled against the House of Bourbon on May 16, 1860, leaving its gates open to Giuseppe Garibaldi and his expedition. Five months later, on October 21, a plebiscite sealed the annexation of Noto to Piedmont. In 1844, Noto was named a bishopric seat, but in 1866 suffered the abolition of the religious guilds, which were deeply linked to the city's structures and buildings. Noto was freed from fascist dictatorship in July 1943. At the referendum of 1946, the Notinesi people voted in favour of the monarchy. The church of St. Charles Borromeo. A balcony of the Villadorata palace, Immacolata Square. Accommodation Sicily - Accommodation Noto, Siracusa, Sicily, Italy In Noto we have holiday accommodation properties: 2 Star Hotels, 3 Star Hotels, Agritourisms and Bed and Breakfasts. Some of our popular destinations for ... http://www.accommodationsicily.com/Italy/Sicily/Siracusa/Noto/Accommodation.htm The church of San Domenico. Main sights Noto is famous for its fine buildings of the early eighteenth century, considered among the main masterpieces in the Sicilian baroque style. Palaces and other buildings Ducezio Palace, the current Town Hall. Designed by Vincenzo Sinatra, it houses neo-classical style frescoes by Antonio Mazza. Astuto Palace. Villadorata palace on Via Nicolaci which was built by P. Labisi in 1733. Religious buildings Cathedral of San Nicolò di Mira (finished 1776). Church of Santa Caterina. Church of San Corrado. Church of the Collegio di San Carlo. Church of the Jesus Name. Monastery of Santa Chiara (1735), designed by Gagliardi. It has an oval plant, the interior divided by twelve columns housing a Madonna with Child from the sixteenth century. Church of San Michele Arcangelo. Church of Santa Maria della Scala. Church of Santissimo Salvatore. Town Library. Church of San Nicola di Mira. Church of Santa Chiara, with a precious Madonna by Antonello Gagini. Church of San Francesco D'Assisi (Immacolata). Church of the Spirito Santo. Church of Ecce Homo. Church of Santa Maria dell'Arco. Church of the Anime Sante del Purgatorio ("Holy Souls of the Purgatory"). Church of Santa Maria della Rotonda. Church of the Santissima Trinità. Church of San Carlo al Corso (by Rosario Gagliardi). Church of Santa Maria del Carmelo. Church of San Pietro Martire. Church of San Michele Arcangelo. Church of San Domenico (by Rosario Gagliardi). Church of Sant'Antonio Abate. Church of Santa Caterina. Church of the Crociferio di San Camillo. Church of Montevergine (San Girolamo). Church of Santissimo Salvatore. Church of San Andrea Apostolo. Church of San Pietro delle Rose (Saints Peter and Paul). Church of the SS. Crucifix. Church of Sant'Egidio Vescovo. Church of Santa Maria del Gesù. Church of Annunziata. Church of Santa Agata. Archaeological finds The remains of Noto's early inhabitants are almost entirely hidden beneath the ruins of the mediaeval town, except for three chambers cut into the rock. One is noted by an inscription in the library at Noto to have belonged to the gymnasium, while the other two were heroa (shrines of heroes). But explorations have brought to light four cemeteries of the third Sicel period, and one of the Greek period, of the third and second centuries BC. There are also catacombs of the Christian period and some Byzantine tombs. Four miles to the south of Noto, on the left bank of the Tellaro (Helorus) stands a stone column about 10 metres high, which is believed to be a memorial of the surrender of Nicias. In the third century BC, a tomb was excavated in the rectangular area which surrounds it, destroying apparently a pre-existing tomb. The later burial belongs to the necropolis of the small town of Heloron, 750 m to the southeast, some remains of which have been discovered. It was a small advanced post of Syracuse, belonging probably to the sxith century BC. Culture In the Noto neighbourhood, a 32-m radiotelescope was installed by the Istituto di Radioastronomia di Bologna as part of the Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche. It works in collaboration with a similar instrument in Medicina, Bologna. The city has held an annual flower festival, the Infiorata, every May since the 1980s, lining the streets with floral works of art. Late Baroque Towns of the Val di Noto (South-Eastern Sicily) Provinces of Catania, Ragusa, and Syracuse, Sicily Brief Description The eight towns in south-eastern Sicily: Caltagirone, Militello Val di Catania, Catania, Modica, Noto, Palazzolo, Ragusa and Scicli, were all rebuilt after 1693 on or beside towns existing at the time of the earthquake which took place in that year. They represent a considerable collective undertaking, successfully carried out at a high level of architectural and artistic achievement. Keeping within the late Baroque style of the day, they also depict distinctive innovations in town planning and urban building. Justification for Inscription Criterion i This group of towns in south-eastern Sicily provides outstanding testimony to the exuberant genius of late Baroque art and architecture. Criterion ii The towns of the Val di Noto represent the culmination and final flowering of Baroque art in Europe. Criterion iv The exceptional quality of the late Baroque art and architecture in the Val di Noto lies in its geographical and chronological homogeneity, as well as its quantity, the result of the 1693 earthquake in this region. Criterion v The eight towns of south-eastern Sicily that make up this nomination, which are characteristic of the settlement pattern and urban form of this region, are permanently at risk from earthquakes and eruptions of Mount Etna. http://whc.unesco.org/en/list/1024