Noto Cathedral

Noto Cathedral tickets: which one to buy

Noto Cathedral stands at the top of a monumental flight of steps on Corso Vittorio Emanuele, the main street of Noto, the baroque town in south-eastern Sicily, and entry to the church is free, though a small ticket may be required for the terraces or special areas. Noto is part of the UNESCO listing of the late baroque towns of the Val di Noto, together with Ragusa, Modica and Caltagirone, and day trips from Syracuse or Catania often combine several of them.

Walking tours of Noto cover the cathedral, the Palazzo Ducezio town hall opposite, the terrace of the church of Santa Chiara and the balconies of the Palazzo Nicolaci. The town is small and walkable, and almost everything lies along or just off the main street. Parking is available at the bottom of the town, near the public gardens. Wheelchair access is possible from a side entrance instead of the main steps.

Visiting Noto Cathedral: what to see

Old Noto was destroyed by the earthquake of 1693, and the town was rebuilt on a new site with a planned grid of streets and buildings in a unified late baroque style, using a soft local limestone that glows golden in the sun. The cathedral, dedicated to Saint Nicholas, was completed in the late eighteenth century, with a wide facade flanked by two towers and crowned by a dome, standing at the top of a grand staircase. In 1996 the dome and part of the nave collapsed, due to structural weaknesses and damage from an earlier earthquake.

After a long reconstruction, using traditional materials and techniques, the cathedral reopened in 2007. The interior is now bright and restored, with new frescoes in the dome painted by a Russian artist, and the silver urn of Saint Conrad, the town's patron. The view from the steps down the Corso is one of the most beautiful in Sicily. The side chapels hold baroque altars rescued from the collapse and carefully restored, and the new bronze doors show scenes from the life of Saint Conrad. From the top of the steps the view along the Corso takes in the palaces and churches of the whole baroque town.

Noto Cathedral opening hours and the best time to go

Noto is at its most beautiful in the late afternoon and early evening, when the stone turns golden and then the buildings are lit; the passeggiata along the Corso is part of the experience. Summer is hot, and the middle of the day is best spent in the shade or indoors. Spring and autumn are ideal. In mid-May the Infiorata transforms Via Nicolaci with pictures made of flower petals, and the town fills with visitors.

The feast of Saint Conrad in February and August brings processions. The beaches of Vendicari nature reserve are about twenty minutes' drive away. Allow about twenty minutes for the cathedral, and several hours for the town, ending with granita in one of the cafes on the Corso. The terrace of the church of Santa Chiara, a few steps away, gives a view down onto the cathedral dome and the square.