Noto ( scn, Notu; la, Netum) is a city and in the

Province of Syracuse The Province of Syracuse ( it, provincia di Siracusa; scn, pruvincia di Sarausa) was a province in the autonomous island region of Sicily in Italy. Its capital was the city of Syracuse, a town established by Greek colonists arriving from Corinth ...

Sicily (man) it, Siciliana (woman) , population_note = , population_blank1_title = , population_blank1 = , demographics_type1 = Ethnicity , demographics1_footnotes = , demographi ...

, Italy. It is southwest of the city of Syracuse at the foot of the Iblean Mountains. It lends its name to the surrounding area

Val di Noto Val di Noto (English: ''Province of Noto'') is a historical and geographical area encompassing the south-eastern third of Sicily; it is dominated by the limestone Hyblaean plateau. Historically, it was one of the three valli of Sicily. History ...

. In 2002 Noto and its church were declared a

UNESCO The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization is a specialized agency of the United Nations (UN) aimed at promoting world peace and security through international cooperation in education, arts, sciences and culture. It ...

World Heritage Site A World Heritage Site is a landmark or area with legal protection by an international convention administered by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). World Heritage Sites are designated by UNESCO for h ...

Etymology

Noto is regarded as having a possible

Ancient Greek Ancient Greek includes the forms of the Greek language used in ancient Greece and the ancient world from around 1500 BC to 300 BC. It is often roughly divided into the following periods: Mycenaean Greek (), Dark Ages (), the Archaic p ...

etymology. Likely, the name is derived from "south" (Greek: Νότιο Πήλιο), as in

Notion Notion or Notions may refer to: Software * Notion (music software), a music composition and performance program * Notion (productivity software), a note-taking and project-management program from Notion Labs Inc. * Notion (window manager), the s ...

and

Notio Aigaio The South Aegean ( el, Περιφέρεια Νοτίου Αιγαίου, translit=Periféria Notíou Eyéou, ) is one of the thirteen administrative regions of Greece. It consists of the Cyclades and Dodecanese island groups in the central and ...

History

The old town, Noto Antica, lies directly north on

Mount Alveria Mount Alveria is a mountain located in the Province of Siracusa, south-eastern Sicily, Italy. History This mountainside has been inhabited since prehistoric times. The Elymians lived there before the 10th century B.C. They were followed by the S ...

. A city of

Sicel The Sicels (; la, Siculi; grc, Σικελοί ''Sikeloi'') were an Italic tribe who inhabited eastern Sicily during the Iron Age. Their neighbours to the west were the Sicani. The Sicels gave Sicily the name it has held since antiquity, b ...

origin, it was known as

Netum Netum or Neetum (Greek: ), was a considerable ancient town in the south of Sicily, near the sources of the little river Asinarus (modern Falconara), and about 34 km southwest of Syracuse. Its current site is at the ''località'' of Noto A ...

in ancient times. In 263 BCE the city was granted to

Hiero II Hiero II ( el, Ἱέρων Β΄; c. 308 BC – 215 BC) was the Greek tyrant of Syracuse from 275 to 215 BC, and the illegitimate son of a Syracusan noble, Hierocles, who claimed descent from Gelon. He was a former general of Pyrrhus of Epirus a ...

by the

Romans Roman or Romans most often refers to: *Rome, the capital city of Italy * Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD *Roman people, the people of ancient Rome *''Epistle to the Romans'', shortened to ''Romans'', a lette ...

. According to legend,

Daedalus In Greek mythology, Daedalus (, ; Greek: Δαίδαλος; Latin: ''Daedalus''; Etruscan: ''Taitale'') was a skillful architect and craftsman, seen as a symbol of wisdom, knowledge and power. He is the father of Icarus, the uncle of Perdix, a ...

stayed in the city after his flight over the Ionian Sea, as did

Hercules Hercules (, ) is the Roman equivalent of the Greek divine hero Heracles, son of Jupiter and the mortal Alcmena. In classical mythology, Hercules is famous for his strength and for his numerous far-ranging adventures. The Romans adapted the ...

after his seventh task. During the Roman era, it opposed the magistrate

Verres Gaius Verres (c. 120–43 BC) was a Roman magistrate, notorious for his misgovernment of Sicily. His extortion of local farmers and plundering of temples led to his prosecution by Cicero, whose accusations were so devastating that his defence adv ...

In 866 it was conquered by the Muslims, who elevated the city to become a capital of one of the three districts of the island (the Val di Noto). In 1091, it became the last Islamic stronghold in Sicily to fall to the Christians. Later it became a rich

Norman Norman or Normans may refer to: Ethnic and cultural identity * The Normans, a people partly descended from Norse Vikings who settled in the territory of Normandy in France in the 10th and 11th centuries ** People or things connected with the Norm ...

city. In the 16th and 17th centuries, the city was home to several notable intellectual figures, including

Giovanni Aurispa Giovanni Aurispa Piciunerio (or Piciuneri) (June/July 1376–c. 25 May 1459) was an Italian historian and savant of the 15th century. He is remembered in particular as a promoter of the revival of the study of Greek in Italy. It is to Aurispa that ...

, jurists Andrea Barbazio and Antonio Corsetto, as well as architect Matteo Carnelivari and composer Mario Capuana. In 1503 King Ferdinand III granted it the title of ''civitas ingeniosa'' ("Ingenious City"). In the following centuries, the city expanded, growing beyond its medieval limits, and new buildings, churches and convents were built. The medieval town of Noto was virtually razed by the 1693 Sicilian earthquake. Over half the population is said to have died from the earthquake. It was decided to rebuild the town at the present site, on the left bank of the River

Asinaro The Asinaro is a river in Sicily in the province of Syracuse. It is 22 km long, flowing from the Hyblaean Mountains into the Ionian Sea. It passes through the UNESCO World Heritage city of Noto. The river was known as the Assinaros in antiq ...

, closer to the Ionian shore. These circumstances have led this town to have a unique architectural homogeneity since the core of the town was all built over the next decades after the calamity in what is a typical and highly preserved example of

Sicilian baroque Sicilian Baroque is the distinctive form of Baroque architecture which evolved on the island of Sicily, off the southern coast of Italy, in the , when it was part of the Spanish Empire. The style is recognisable not only by its typical Baroque c ...

. The layout followed a grid system by Giovanni Battista Landolina and utilized the sloping hillside for scenographic effects. The architects

Rosario Gagliardi Rosario Gagliardi (1698–1762) was an Italian architect born in Syracuse. He was one of the leading architects working in the Sicilian Baroque. In spite of never leaving Sicily his work showed great understanding of the style, but was a progress ...

, Francesco Sortino and others each participated in designing multiple structures. The town was dubbed the "Stone Garden" by Cesare Brandi and is currently listed among

World Heritage Sites A World Heritage Site is a landmark or area with legal protection by an international convention administered by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). World Heritage Sites are designated by UNESCO for ...

. Many of the newer structures are built of a soft

tufa Tufa is a variety of limestone formed when carbonate minerals precipitate out of water in unheated rivers or lakes. Geothermally heated hot springs sometimes produce similar (but less porous) carbonate deposits, which are known as travertin ...

stone, which assumes a honey tonality under sunlight. Parts of the cathedral, however, unexpectedly collapsed in 1996. The city, which had lost its provincial capital status in 1817, rebelled against the House of Bourbon on 16 May 1860, leaving its gates open to Giuseppe Garibaldi and his expedition. Five months later, on 21 October, a plebiscite sealed the annexation of Noto to

Piedmont it, Piemontese , population_note = , population_blank1_title = , population_blank1 = , demographics_type1 = , demographics1_footnotes = , demographics1_title1 = , demographics1_info1 = , demographics1_title2 ...

. In 1844, Noto was named a

diocese In church governance, a diocese or bishopric is the ecclesiastical district under the jurisdiction of a bishop. History In the later organization of the Roman Empire, the increasingly subdivided provinces were administratively associa ...

, but in 1866 suffered the abolition of the religious guilds, which had been deeply linked to the city's structures and buildings. Noto was freed from the fascist dictatorship of Benito Mussolini in July 1943. The Notinesi people voted in favour of the

monarchy A monarchy is a government#Forms, form of government in which a person, the monarch, is head of state for life or until abdication. The legitimacy (political)#monarchy, political legitimacy and authority of the monarch may vary from restric ...

in the referendum of 1946.

Main sights

Noto is famous for its buildings from the early 18th century, many of which are considered to be among the finest examples of

style. It is a place of many religious buildings and several palaces.

Palazzi and other buildings

*Palazzo Ducezio, the current town hall. Designed by

Vincenzo Sinatra Vincenzo Sinatra (1720, Noto – 1765) was a Sicilian architect. He was a pupil of Rosario Gagliardi. Sinatra worked in both the Baroque style and later in Neo-Classical style. Following the 1693 earthquake, the city of Noto was completel ...

, it houses neo-classical style frescos by Antonio Mazza. *Palazzo Astuto. *Palazzo di Villadorata on ''via Nicolaci'' which was built by P. Labisi in 1733. *Palazzo di Lorenzo del Castelluccio *Town Library

Religious buildings

Noto Cathedral Noto Cathedral ( it, Cattedrale di Noto; La Chiesa Madre di San Nicolò) is a Roman Catholic cathedral in Noto in Sicily, Italy. Its construction, in the style of the Sicilian Baroque, began in the early 18th century and was completed in 1776. It ...

(''Cattedrale di San Nicolò di Mira'', finished in 1776) *'' Santa Agata'' church *'' Sant'Andrea Apostolo'' church *''Anime Sante del Purgatorio'' ("Holy Souls of the Purgatory") church *'' Annunziata'' church *''Sant'Antonio Abate'' church *'' Santa Caterina'' church *'' Santa Chiara'' church, with a precious ''Madonna'' (by Antonello Gagini), and Benedictine monastery, *Church of ''San Francesco d'Assisi'' (''Immacolata'') *'' San Carlo al Corso'' church, designed by

*''Collegio di San Carlo'' church *''San Corrado'' church *''Santissimo Crocifisso'' church *''Crociferio di San Camillo'' church *'' San Domenico'' church by

*''Ecce Homo'' church *''Sant'Egidio Vescovo'' church *'' San Girolamo'' church also known as ''Chiesa di Montevergine'' *'' Santa Maria dell'Arco'': church and former Cistercian monastery, founded in 1212 under the patronage of Count Isimberto or Isemberto di Morengia and is wife Sara The church moved from Arco to the old Noto, then after 1693 to the new Noto. Church designed by Rosario Gagliardi. The monastery was closed by 1789, and little remains of the original structure. *''Santa Maria del Carmelo'' church *''Santa Maria del Gesù'' church *''Santa Maria della Rotonda'' church *''Santa Maria della Scala'' church *''San Michele Arcangelo'' church *''San Nicola di Mira'' church *''Sacro Nome di Gesu'' church *''San Pietro Martire'' church *''San Pietro delle Rose'' (Saints Peter and Paul) church *''Santissimo Salvatore'' church *'' Santissimo Salvatore'': church and benedictine convent (1735), designed by Gagliardi. It has an oval plant, the interior divided by twelve columns housing a ''Madonna with Child'' from the 16th century *''Spirito Santo'' church *''Santissima Trinità'' church

Archaeological sites

The remains of Noto's ancient structures 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 a gymnasium, while the other two were ''heroa'' (shrines of heroes). Explorations have discovered four cemeteries dating to the third

period and one from the

Greek Greek may refer to: Greece Anything of, from, or related to Greece, a country in Southern Europe: *Greeks, an ethnic group. *Greek language, a branch of the Indo-European language family. **Proto-Greek language, the assumed last common ancestor ...

period. Among other finds are catacombs of the Christian period and several

Byzantine The Byzantine Empire, also referred to as the Eastern Roman Empire or Byzantium, was the continuation of the Roman Empire primarily in its eastern provinces during Late Antiquity and the Middle Ages, when its capital city was Constantinopl ...

tombs. About south of Noto, on the left bank of the Tellaro (Helorus) river, stands a stone column about high, which is believed to be a memorial to the surrender of

Nicias Nicias (; Νικίας ''Nikias''; c. 470–413 BC) was an Athenian politician and general during the period of the Peloponnesian War. Nicias was a member of the Athenian aristocracy and had inherited a large fortune from his father, which was inve ...

. In the 3rd century BC, a tomb was excavated in the rectangular area which surrounds it, destroying an apparently pre-existing tomb. Remnants of a later burial site belonging to the necropolis of the small town of Helorus, to the southeast, have been discovered. The Villa Romana del Tellaro is a

Roman villa A Roman villa was typically a farmhouse or country house built in the Roman Republic and the Roman Empire, sometimes reaching extravagant proportions. Typology and distribution Pliny the Elder (23–79 AD) distinguished two kinds of villas n ...

located south of Noto.

Culture

In the Noto neighbourhood, a 32-m radiotelescope was installed by the

Istituto di Radioastronomia di Bologna The Istituto di Radioastronomia di Bologna (Institute for Radio Astronomy of Bologna) is one of research facilities of the Italian Istituto Nazionale di Astrofisica (National Institute for Astrophysics). Staff conduct research in astronomy, physics ...

as part of the

Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche The National Research Council (Italian: ''Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche, CNR'') is the largest research council in Italy. As a public organisation, its remit is to support scientific and technological research. Its headquarters are in Rome. ...

. It works in collaboration with a similar instrument in

Medicina Medicina ( Bolognese: ; Eastern Bolognese: ) is an Italian ''comune'' with c. 16,000 inhabitants in the Metropolitan City of Bologna, part of the region of Emilia-Romagna. Name The origins of its name (which in Italian means "medicine") are qui ...

Bologna Bologna (, , ; egl, label=Emilian language, Emilian, Bulåggna ; lat, Bononia) is the capital and largest city of the Emilia-Romagna region in Northern Italy. It is the seventh most populous city in Italy with about 400,000 inhabitants and 1 ...

. The city has held an annual flower festival, the Infiorata, every May since the 1980s, lining the Corrado Nicolaci with floral mosaics. One episode of the movie ''

L'Avventura ''L'Avventura'' ( en, "The Adventure") is a 1960 Italian drama film directed by Michelangelo Antonioni. Developed from a story by Antonioni with co-writers Elio Bartolini and Tonino Guerra, the film is about the disappearance of a young woman ...

'' (1960) directed by Michelangelo Antonioni was shot in Noto and features views of its cathedral and square.

Economy

The local area is home to several quality wine producers.

Gallery

Image:Noto 2008 IMG 1442.jpg, Theatre File:Noto, duomo 03.1.JPG, Noto Cathedral Image:San domenico church01.jpg, Church of San Domenico File:Noto 2008 IMG 1392.jpg, Church of St. Charles Borromeo Image:Noto 2008 IMG 1384.jpg, Church of San Francesco all'Immacolata Image:Chiesa del Carmine a Noto.JPG, Image:Noto flickr01.jpg, Arch Image:Noto 2008 IMG 1372.jpg, Church of the Santissimo Crocifisso Image:Noto, chiesa di santa chiara.JPG, Church of Santa Chiara Image:Via Nicolaci Noto-pjt.jpg,

References

*''Sicily and Its Islands'', 2004 - Ugo La Rosa editore

External links

Noto in Sicily

Webcam on Cathedral of San NicolòIl Portale su NotoAccommodation Center of Noto
* {{Authority control Coastal towns in Sicily Municipalities of the Province of Syracuse Sicilian Baroque Wine regions of Italy World Heritage Sites in Italy