Noto ( scn, Notu; la, Netum) is a city and in the Province of Syracuse, Sicily, Italy. It is southwest of the city of

Syracuse Syracuse may refer to: Places Italy *Syracuse, Sicily, or spelled as ''Siracusa'' *Province of Syracuse United States *Syracuse, New York **East Syracuse, New York **North Syracuse, New York *Syracuse, Indiana * Syracuse, Kansas *Syracuse, Miss ...

at the foot of the

Iblean Mountains The Hyblaean Mountains ( scn, Munt'Ibblei; it, Monti Iblei; la, Hyblaei montes) is a mountain range in south-eastern Sicily, Italy. It straddles the provinces of Ragusa, Syracuse and Catania. The highest peak of the range is Monte Lauro, at 98 ...

. It lends its name to the surrounding area Val di Noto. In 2002 Noto and its church were declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Etymology

Noto is regarded as having a possible Ancient Greek etymology. Likely, the name is derived from "south" (Greek: Νότιο Πήλιο), as in Notion and Notio Aigaio.

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 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 An ...

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. According to legend, Daedalus stayed in the city after his flight over the

Ionian Sea The Ionian Sea ( el, Ιόνιο Πέλαγος, ''Iónio Pélagos'' ; it, Mar Ionio ; al, Deti Jon ) is an elongated bay of the Mediterranean Sea. It is connected to the Adriatic Sea to the north, and is bounded by Southern Italy, including C ...

, as did Hercules after his seventh task. During the Roman era, it opposed the magistrate Verres. Palazzo Ducezio-pjt

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, jurists Andrea Barbazio and Antonio Corsetto, as well as architect Matteo Carnelivari and composer

Mario Capuana Mario Capuana (1576 in Sicily – 4 May 1647 in Noto) was an Italian composer of motets and a requiem. He was ''maestro di capella'' at the Cathedral of Noto in the Province of Syracuse from 1628 to his death in 1647. In the years before and imme ...

. 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 (man) it, Siciliana (woman) , population_note = , population_blank1_title = , population_blank1 = , demographics_type1 = Ethnicity , demographics1_ ...

, 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. The layout followed a grid system by

Giovanni Battista Landolina {{Unreferenced, date=December 2009 Giovanni Battista Landolina, "Marchese di S. Alfano", was a Sicily, Sicilian landowner and intellectual instrumental in having the city of Noto removed from its former site on Mount Alveria to a more level locatio ...

and utilized the sloping hillside for scenographic effects. The architects Rosario Gagliardi, Francesco Sortino and others each participated in designing multiple structures. The town was dubbed the "Stone Garden" by

Cesare Brandi Cesare Brandi (Siena, 8 April 1906 – Vignano, 19 January 1988) was an art critic and historian, specialist in conservation-restoration theory. In 1939 he became the first director of the ''Istituto Centrale per il Restauro'' (Central Institute ...

and is currently listed among UNESCO's World Heritage Sites. Many of the newer structures are built of a soft tufa 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 The House of Bourbon (, also ; ) is a European dynasty of French origin, a branch of the Capetian dynasty, the royal House of France. Bourbon kings first ruled France and Navarre in the 16th century. By the 18th century, members of the Spanis ...

on 16 May 1860, leaving its gates open to

Giuseppe Garibaldi Giuseppe Maria Garibaldi ( , ;In his native Ligurian language, he is known as ''Gioxeppe Gaibado''. In his particular Niçard dialect of Ligurian, he was known as ''Jousé'' or ''Josep''. 4 July 1807 – 2 June 1882) was an Italian general, patr ...

and his expedition. Five months later, on 21 October, a plebiscite sealed the annexation of Noto to Piedmont. In 1844, Noto was named a diocese, 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 Benito Amilcare Andrea Mussolini (; 29 July 188328 April 1945) was an Italian politician and journalist who founded and led the National Fascist Party. He was Prime Minister of Italy from the March on Rome in 1922 until his deposition in 194 ...

in July 1943. The Notinesi people voted in favour of the monarchy 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 Sicilian baroque 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, it houses neo-classical style

fresco Fresco (plural ''frescos'' or ''frescoes'') is a technique of mural painting executed upon freshly laid ("wet") lime plaster. Water is used as the vehicle for the dry-powder pigment to merge with the plaster, and with the setting of the plaste ...

s 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 Annunziata is the Italian word for (feminine) Annunciation. It is generally understood to refer to the Virgin Mary, receiving the word of the Angel Gabriel that she is to bear the Christ child; that is, the Virgin Mary after the Annunciation. It i ...

'' church *''Sant'Antonio Abate'' church *'' Santa Caterina'' church *'' Santa Chiara'' church, with a precious ''Madonna'' (by

Antonello Gagini Antonello Gagini (1478–1536) was an Italian sculptor of the Renaissance, mainly active in Sicily and Calabria. Antonello belonged to a family of sculptors and artisans, originally from Northern Italy, but active throughout Italy, including Gen ...

), and Benedictine monastery, *Church of ''San Francesco d'Assisi'' (''Immacolata'') *''

San Carlo al Corso Sant'Ambrogio e Carlo al Corso (usually known simply as ''San Carlo al Corso'') is a basilica church in Rome, Italy, facing onto the central part of the Via del Corso. The apse of the church faces across the street, the Mausoleum of Augustus o ...

'' church, designed by Rosario Gagliardi *''Collegio di San Carlo'' church *''San Corrado'' church *''Santissimo Crocifisso'' church *''Crociferio di San Camillo'' church *''

San Domenico San Domenico may refer to: Catholic saints * Dominic de Guzmán (1170-1221), Spanish priest and founder of the Dominican Order * San Domenico di Sora (951-1031), Italian abbot, patron saint of Villalago Churches * San Domenico, Arezzo (Basilica ...

'' church by Rosario Gagliardi *''Ecce Homo'' church *''Sant'Egidio Vescovo'' church *''

San Girolamo San Girolamo may refer to: * San Girolamo, Italian for Saint Jerome * Marconi-San Girolamo-Fesca, quarter of Bari, region of Apulia, Italy * San Girolamo, Cremona, a 17th-century, Baroque style, Roman Catholic church in Cremona, region of Lombardy ...

'' 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 Sicel period and one from the Greek period. Among other finds are

catacomb Catacombs are man-made subterranean passageways for religious practice. Any chamber used as a burial place is a catacomb, although the word is most commonly associated with the Roman Empire. Etymology and history The first place to be referred ...

s of the Christian period and several Byzantine 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. 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 Helorus, Heloros, Helorum, or Elorus (Greek: or , Ptol., Steph. B. or , Scyl.; it, Eloro), was an ancient Greek city of Sicily, situated near the east coast, about 40 km south of Syracuse and on the banks of the river of the same name. ...

, to the southeast, have been discovered. The

Villa Romana del Tellaro The Villa Romana del Tellaro is a large, elaborate Roman villa dating from the late Roman Empire. It is also known (in English) as the villa of Caddeddi, the name of the locality.R.J.A. Wilson, Caddeddi on the Tellaro: A Late Roman Villa in Si ...

is a Roman villa located south of Noto.

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 Corrado Nicolaci with floral mosaics. One episode of the movie '' L'Avventura'' (1960) directed by

Michelangelo Antonioni Michelangelo Antonioni (, ; 29 September 1912 – 30 July 2007) was an Italian filmmaker. He is best known for directing his "trilogy on modernity and its discontents"—''L'Avventura'' (1960), ''La Notte'' (1961), and ''L'Eclisse'' (1962 ...

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