During your stay in the Relais Torre Marabino, situated in Ispica, in Ragusa district, in Val di Noto, in Sicily, you will discover the amazing Baroque in the Noto Valley.
SCICLI
The old town center of Scicli is listed as a UNESCO World Heritage site. In this beautiful town we can admire many points of interest.
The Palazzo Beneventano, built in the eighteenth century, is considered by many historians as one of the best shows of the Baroque style, with numerous decorations, the iron balustrade and the evocative masks placed on the windows.
Palazzo Beneventano photo valentinadesantis
Piazza Italia, the heart of the town, was built to cover the stream of San Bartolomeo and is surrounded by magnificent buildings such as Palazzo Fava dating back to the late eighteenth century, the Palace Mormina Penna and Palace Iacono. In the square there’s the mother Church of St. Ignatius.
Among the churches in Scicli there’s the Church of St. Bartholomew built in the fifteenth century with the façade that was rebuilt in the nineteenth century. The whole interior is in late Baroque style. The complex of Santa Maria Croce has medieval origins but has been altered over the centuries, as evidenced by the eighteenth-century putty work. The beautiful facade is in Gothic style.
NOTO
Noto is considered the capital of the Baroque and its old town center is listed as a UNESCO World Heritage site.
Porta Reale, is also known as Ferdinandea, because it was built in 1838 in honor of the Bourbon King Ferdinand II who visited the town. It was built in neoclassical style and was made by the architect Angelini. The idea was to create an entrance to the town worthy of the King, and even today is a symbol of the old town center.
St. Nicholas Cathedral is rich in works of art including the sculpture of Saint Michael the Archangel, the bas-relief depicting the Madonna delle Grazie, several paintings, and the relics of St. Nicholas, patron of the town, housed in the beautiful wooden ark dating back to the sixteenth century.
St. Nicholas Cathedral Noto
The church of Santa Chiara was built at the beginning of the eighteenth century, next to the existing monastery. It was built in the sixteenth century style, while the interior is made in Baroque style and contains many works of art including the marble sculpture of the Virgin with Child and the altarpiece depicting St. Benedict and St. Scholastica.
Nicolaci Palace of Villadorata, has a beautiful baroque facade with two Ionic columns on either side of the portal, a large balcony above the doorway and the other six sides have different suggestive sculptures of fantastic animals like winged horses, mermaids and centaurs. Among the beautiful rooms we can admire numerous baroque-style decorations. The Nicolaci Palace houses the town library.
MODICA
The old town center of Modica, rich in Baroque buildings, is listed as a UNESCO World Heritage site. Modica is known as the town of 100 churches, including the Cathedral of St. George, considered the example of Sicilian Baroque, and the Cathedral of St. Peter. Polara Palace, adjacent to the Cathedral of St. George, dating back to late eighteenth century and built in late Baroque style. The building is accessed through a staircase, and on the façade there’s a coat of arms that represents the North Star.
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