Noto Cathedral

Where: Noto
Best for: Honey-limestone Baroque facade
Allow: 30 minutes
Tickets: Free

Noto rebuilt itself from nothing after the earthquake of 1693 flattened the old hill town, and this cathedral, dedicated to San Nicolò, crowns the new grid in the same honey-coloured limestone as everything around it, reached by a broad staircase that turns the whole piazza into a stage.

The building looks Baroque and solid but has failed once: heavy rain and shoddy nineteenth-century repairs brought the dome down in March 1996, destroying the nave beneath it. Restorers spent over a decade putting it back stone by stone, reopening in 2007 with the silver reliquary of San Corrado, Noto's patron saint, returned to the high altar. Pope Benedict XVI made it a minor basilica in 2012. At sunset the facade turns the colour of the quarry it came from.

Three things worth finding

If you see nothing else, see these.

The grand staircase and facadeBaroque, rebuilt after 1693; Evangelist statues by Giuseppe Orlando, 1796
Stand at the bottom of the steps and watch the honey-coloured limestone front rise above you; the statues of the four Evangelists crown it.Piazza, top of the staircase on Corso Vittorio Emanuele
The reliquary of San Corrado16th century, silver-lined casket
The relics of Noto’s patron saint, Corrado Confalonieri, are kept in a silver-lined casket, the devotional heart of the church.Inside the cathedral
The dome painting of PentecostOleg Supereko
Painted after the collapse, it is a contemporary work under an eighteenth-century-style dome: the rebuilt cathedral speaks in a modern voice.The rebuilt dome

Plan your visit

Tickets: Free
Booking: Check booking requirements
Time needed: 30 minutes
Best time: Late afternoon, when low sun lights the honey-coloured facade and the staircase below it.
Getting there: The cathedral crowns Corso Vittorio Emanuele at the top of a monumental staircase in the centre of Noto, a level walk from anywhere in the historic core; Noto's train and bus stations are both a short walk downhill.

Free entry; modest dress (shoulders and knees covered) is expected, and tourist visits pause during Mass.

Time your visit for the half hour before sunset, when the limestone genuinely turns gold, best seen from the piazza below rather than up close on the steps.

Official website

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Good to know

How long should you spend at Noto Cathedral?

About half an hour is enough for the interior and a pause on the staircase. The real pleasure is lingering in the piazza outside, so give yourself extra time if you want to watch the light change on the facade.

Is Noto Cathedral worth visiting?

Yes, and for a particular reason: the dome collapsed in 1996 and was rebuilt, so the interior is unusually new and bright for a Baroque church. Seeing the old facade and the modern paintings together tells the story of Noto’s rebuilding.

Can you see Noto Cathedral and the rest of Noto in one day?

Yes. Noto’s Baroque centre is compact and sits along Corso Vittorio Emanuele, so the cathedral, Palazzo Ducezio and Via Corrado Nicolaci fit comfortably into a morning or afternoon. Come in the late afternoon if you can, when the stone turns golden.