Editing Noto

{{Short description|City in Sicily, Italy}}
{{other uses}}
{{Expand Italian|date=January 2022|topic=geo}}
{{Infobox Italian comune
| name                = Noto
| official_name       = Città di Noto
| native_name         = {{native name|el|Nèiton}}
| image_skyline       = La cattedrale di Noto restaurata.JPG
| imagesize           =
| image_alt           =
| image_caption       = [[Noto Cathedral]]
| image_shield        = Noto-Stemma.svg
| shield_alt          =
| image_map           =
| map_alt             =
| map_caption         = Location in Italy
| pushpin_label_position =
| pushpin_map_alt     =
| coordinates         = {{coord|36|53|N|15|05|E|region:IT_type:city(23346)|display=inline}}
| coordinates_footnotes =
| region              = [[Sicily]]
| province            = [[Province of Siracusa|Siracusa]] (SR)
| frazioni            = [[#Frazioni|see list]]
| mayor_party         =
| mayor               = Corrado Figura
| area_footnotes      =
| area_total_km2      = 550.86
| population_footnotes =
| population_total    = 24264 
| population_as_of    = 31 December 2022
| pop_density_footnotes =
| population_demonym  = Notinesi or Netini
| elevation_footnotes =
| elevation_m         = 152
| twin1               =
| twin1_country       =
| saint               = San Corrado Confalonieri
| day                 = February 19
| postal_code         = 96017
| area_code           = 0931
| website             = {{Official URL}}
| footnotes           = {{Infobox UNESCO World Heritage Site
| child         = yes
| part_of       = Late Baroque Towns of the [[Val di Noto]] (South-Eastern [[Sicily]])
| includes      = 
| criteria      = {{UNESCO WHS type|(i)(ii)(iv)(v)}}(i)(ii)(iv)(v)
 | ID            = 1024rev-005
 | year          = 2002
 | area          = {{convert|21.38|ha|sqft|abbr=on}}
 | buffer_zone   = {{convert|48.09|ha|sqft|abbr=on}}
 }}
}}
[[Image:Noto San Carlo Borromeo.jpg|right|thumb|The church of St. Charles Borromeo.]]
[[Image:Noto-Villadorata 2.jpg|thumb|right|A balcony of the Villadorata palace.]]
[[Image:Noto San Domenico.jpg|thumb|The church of San Domenico.]]
'''Noto''' ({{langx|scn|Notu}}; {{langx|la|Netum}}) is a city and {{lang|it|[[comune]]}} in the [[Province of Syracuse]], [[Sicily]], Italy. It is {{convert|32|km|mi}} southwest of the city of [[Syracuse, Sicily|Syracuse]] at the foot of the [[Iblean Mountains]]. It lends its name to the surrounding area<ref>The {{lang|scn|Val}} in {{lang|it|Val di Noto}} is in [[Sicilian language|Sicilian]] and in [[Italian language|Italian]] a [[grammatical gender|grammatically masculine]] term, and it does not refer to a 'Valley' as is usual in Italian geographical names, which are although always grammatically feminine, but to one of the ''Provinces'' or ''Governorates'' into which Sicily was administratively divided under Arab rule and up until the 1812 administrative reform. The corresponding [[Arabic language|Arabic]] term is {{lang|ar-Latn|[[wāli]]}} ({{lang|ar|والي}}), and the Sicilian {{lang|scn|val}} is akin to the Arab {{lang|ar-Latn|[[wilayah]]}} ({{lang|ar|ولاية}}) or the Turkish {{lang|tr|[[vilayet]]}} ({{lang|ota|ولايت}}), used as it would be a [[calque]] of the English term ''[[shire]]''</ref> [[Val di Noto]]. In 2002 Noto and its church were declared a [[UNESCO]] [[World Heritage Site]].<ref>[https://whc.unesco.org/en/list/1024 Late Baroque Towns of the Val di Noto] - listing on UNESCO website</ref>

==Etymology==
Noto is regarded as having a possible [[Ancient Greek]] etymology. Likely, the name is derived from "south" (Greek: Νότιο ''Notio''), as in [[Notion_(ancient_city)|Notion]].

==History==
{{main|Netum}}
The old town, Noto Antica, lies {{convert|8|km|mi|0}} directly north on [[Mount Alveria]]. A city of [[Sicel]] origin, it was known as [[Netum]] in ancient times. In 263 BCE the city was granted to [[Hiero II of Syracuse|Hiero II]] by the [[Roman Republic|Romans]]. According to legend, [[Daedalus]] stayed in the city after his flight over the [[Ionian Sea]], as did [[Hercules]] after his seventh task. During the Roman era, it opposed the magistrate [[Verres]].

[[File:Palazzo Ducezio-pjt.jpg|thumb|left|250px|A view of Noto Town Hall.]]
In 866, [[Muslim conquest of Sicily|the Muslims conquered the city]] and named it ''Nawṭis'', elevating it to the capital of one of Sicily’s three districts, the Val di Noto. It remained an important Islamic stronghold until 1091, when it became the last city in Sicily to fall to the Christians.<ref>{{cite book|author1=Jeremy Johns|title=Arabic Administration in Norman Sicily: The Royal Diwan|url=https://archive.org/details/arabicadministra00john|url-access=limited|date=7 Oct 2002|publisher=Cambridge University Press|isbn=9781139440196|page=[https://archive.org/details/arabicadministra00john/page/n50 31]}}</ref> [[Jordan of Hauteville]], the eldest son of the [[Roger I of Sicily|first Norman Count of Sicily]], was made lord of Noto. Under [[Normans|Norman]] rule, it later flourished as a wealthy and influential 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]]. In 1503 King [[Ferdinand II of Aragon|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 Sicily earthquake|1693 Sicilian earthquake]].<ref>[https://books.google.com/books?id=Ra9kAAAAcAAJ Distinta relatione dello spauentoso eccidio cagionato da'terremoti ultimamente con replicate scosse, accaduto a 9 & 11 di Gennaro di 1693 Regno di Sicilia] by Alessandro Burgos, Palermo and Naples, 1893.</ref> Over half the population is said to have died from the earthquake.<ref>[https://books.google.com/books?id=HUpDAAAAYAAJ Storia della città di Noto], by Salvatore Russo Ferruggia, Pappalardo publisher, 1838): page 66.</ref> It was decided to rebuild the town at the present site, on the left bank of the River [[Asinaro]], 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#New cities|Sicilian baroque]]. The layout followed a grid system by [[Giovanni Battista Landolina]] 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]] 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.{{what|date=May 2023}} 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 [[I Mille|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]] in July 1943 when the town was liberated by British troops under [[General Bernard Montgomery]] as part of the opening phase of [[Operation Husky]], the allied mission to liberate Sicily. The Notinesi people voted in favour of the [[Italian monarchy|monarchy]] in the [[1946 Italian institutional referendum|referendum of 1946]].

==Main sights==
{{travel guide|section|date=January 2022}}
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|Sicilian baroque]] style. It is a place of many religious buildings and several palaces.

===Palazzi and other buildings===
*[[Palazzo Ducezio]], the town hall. Designed by [[Vincenzo Sinatra]], it houses neo-classical style [[fresco]]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]] (''Cattedrale di San Nicolò di Mira'', finished in 1776)
*''[[Santa Agata, Noto|Santa Agata]]'' church
*''[[Sant'Andrea Apostolo, Noto|Sant'Andrea Apostolo]]'' church
*''Anime Sante del Purgatorio'' ("Holy Souls of the Purgatory") church
*''[[Annunziata, Noto|Annunziata]]'' church
*''Sant'Antonio Abate'' church
*''[[Santa Caterina, Noto|Santa Caterina]]'' church
*''[[Santa Chiara, Noto|Santa Chiara]]'' church, with a precious ''Madonna'' (by [[Antonello Gagini]]), and Benedictine monastery
*Church of ''San Francesco d'Assisi'' (''Immacolata'')
*''[[San Carlo al Corso, Noto|San Carlo al Corso]]'' church, designed by [[Rosario Gagliardi]]
*''Collegio di San Carlo'' church
*''San Corrado'' church
*''Santissimo Crocifisso'' church
*''Crociferio di San Camillo'' church
*''[[San Domenico, Noto|San Domenico]]'' church by [[Rosario Gagliardi]]
*''Ecce Homo'' church
*''Sant'Egidio Vescovo'' church
*''[[Chiesa de Montevergine, Noto|San Girolamo]]'' church also known as ''Chiesa di Montevergine''
*''[[Santa Maria dell'Arco, Noto|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<ref>[https://www.google.com/books/edition/Sicilia_da_Le_Cento_citt%C3%A0_d_Italia/tnA_AQAAMAAJ Sicilia da Le Cento Citta d'Italia], page 72.</ref> 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.<ref>[https://www.cistercensi.info/abbazie/abbazie.php?ab=562 I Cistercensi], website.</ref>
*''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, Noto|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 [[Architecture of Ancient Greece|Greek]] period. Among other finds are [[catacomb]]s of the Christian period and several [[Byzantine]] tombs.

About {{convert|4|mi|km|0|order=flip}} south of Noto, on the left bank of the Tellaro (Helorus) river, stands a stone column about {{convert|10|m|ft}} 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]], {{convert|750|m|ft}} to the southeast, have been discovered. The [[Villa Romana del Tellaro]] is a [[Roman villa]] located south of Noto.

===Nature reserves===
Two [[nature reserve]]s can be found near Noto: the [[Riserva naturale orientata Cavagrande del Cassibile]], established in 1990,<ref>{{Cite web |date=30 September 2022 |title=Riserva naturale orientata Cavagrande del Cassibile |url=https://www.comune.siracusa.it/index.php/it/itinerari-turistici-a-siracusa/1752-riserva-naturale-orientata-cavagrande-del-cassibile/4469-riserva-naturale-orientata-cavagrande-del-cassibile |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230322141644/https://www.comune.siracusa.it/index.php/it/itinerari-turistici-a-siracusa/1752-riserva-naturale-orientata-cavagrande-del-cassibile/4469-riserva-naturale-orientata-cavagrande-del-cassibile |archive-date=22 March 2023 |access-date=22 March 2023 |website=Comune di Siracusa |language=it}}</ref> and the [[Riserva naturale orientata Oasi Faunistica di Vendicari]], established in 1984.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Vendicari |url=http://turismo.provsr.it/documents/vendicari.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210413122938/http://turismo.provsr.it/documents/vendicari.html |archive-date=13 April 2021 |access-date=9 May 2023 |website=Libero Consorzio Comunale di Siracusa - Portale Turismo |language=It}}</ref>

==Culture==
In the Noto neighbourhood, a [[Noto VLBI station|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]], [[Province of Bologna|Bologna]].<ref>[http://www.noto.ira.inaf.it/ Noto VLBI home page]. Noto.ira.inaf.it. Retrieved on 18 December 2012.</ref> 

The city has held an annual flower festival, the Infiorata, every May since the 1980s, lining the Corrado Nicolaci with floral mosaics.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.infioratadinoto.it/eng.htm |title=L'INFIORATA di NOTO( Noto's Flower Festival )NOTO on-line: City of Noto, Unesco World Heritage Site |access-date=2013-12-17 |archive-date=2016-06-21 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160621165120/http://www.infioratadinoto.it/eng.htm |url-status=dead }}</ref>

One episode of the movie ''[[L'Avventura]]'' (1960) directed by [[Michelangelo Antonioni]] was shot in Noto and features views of its cathedral and square.<ref name="wwguide">{{cite web|title=L'Avventura film locations |publisher=The Worldwide Guide to Movie Locations |url=http://movie-locations.com/movies/a/Avventura.php |access-date=9 May 2012}}</ref>

==Economy==
The local area is home to several quality wine producers.

== Gallery ==
<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|{{center|Church of the Carmine}}
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|{{center|Via Nicolaci}}
Image:Palazzo_Landolina.JPG|[[Palazzo Landolina]]
</gallery>

==See also==
*[[Sicilian Baroque]]
*[[Val di Noto]]
*[[Roman Catholic Diocese of Noto]]

==References==
{{refbegin}}
*''Sicily and Its Islands'', 2004 - Ugo La Rosa editore
{{refend}}
{{reflist}}

==Further reading==
* Adler, Nancy Lockwood. "Noto: A City Rebuilt" ''History Today'' (Sept 1983), Vol. 33 Issue 9, pp 39–42.

==External links==
*{{usurped|1=[https://web.archive.org/web/20200205143037/http://www.noto-in-sicily.com/ Noto in Sicily]}}
*[http://www.siciliaorientale.com/it/node/35 Webcam on Cathedral of San Nicolò]
*[http://www.notoweb.it Il Portale su Noto]
*[http://www.tuttosunoto.it Accommodation Center of Noto] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191026075641/http://www.tuttosunoto.it/ |date=2019-10-26 }}
*{{YouTube|-ZYANQOlaFQ|''Noto: arrival in the Golden City''}}

{{Province of Syracuse}}<!--cat sort position-->
{{World Heritage Sites in Italy}}<!--cat sort position-->
{{Authority control}}<!--cat sort position-->

[[Category:Noto| ]]
[[Category:Coastal towns in Sicily]]
[[Category:Municipalities of the Province of Syracuse]]
[[Category:Sicilian Baroque]]
[[Category:Wine regions of Italy]]
[[Category:World Heritage Sites in Italy]]