Noto
From Free net encyclopedia
- For other uses, see Noto (disambiguation).
| Città di Noto | |
|---|---|
| Image:Noto-Stemma.png | |
| Province | Syracuse |
| Region | Sicily |
| Area | 550,86 km² |
| Altitude | 152 m |
| Location | Template:Coor dm |
| Population | 23,346 |
| Population density | 42 /km² |
| Name of inhabitans | Notinesi or Netini |
| Patron saint | San Corrado Confalonieri (feast: February 19) |
| Mayor | Michele Accardo (since May 28, 2002) |
| Official Site | www.comune.noto.sr.it |
Noto is a city of Sicily, Italy, in the province of Syracuse, 32 km southwest of it, at the feet of Iblei Mountains. The city gives its name to the surrounding valley, Val di Noto.
Contents |
History
The older town, Noto Antica, lies 5 miles direct to the north (1378 feet) on Mount Alveria. It was the ancient Netum, a city of Sicel origin, left to Hiero II by the Romans by the treaty of 263 BC and mentioned by Cicero as a foederala citilas (Verr. v. 51, 133), and by Pliny as Latinae conditionis (Hist. Nat. iii. 8. 14). According to the legend, Dedalus stopped here after his flight over the Ionian Sea, as well as Hercules, after his seventh task. Image:Noto02 1024.jpg The remains of this city are almost entirely hidden beneath the ruins of the medieval town, except three chambers cut in the rock, one of which is shown, by an inscription in the library at Noto, to have belonged to the gymnasium, while the other two were heroa, or shrines of heroes. But explorations have brought to light four cemeteries of the third Sicel period, and one of the Greek period, of the 3rd and 2nd centuries BC. There are also catacombs of the Christian period and some Byzantine tombs.
In the Roman age it opposed praetor Verres. In 866 it was conquered by the Arabs, who elevated it as capital city of one of three districts of the island (the Val di Noto). Later it was a rich Norman city.
In the 16th-17th centuries it gave birth to several notable intellectual figures, including Giovanni Aurispa, jurists Andrea Barbazio and Antonio Corsetto, as well as the architect Matteo Carnelivari: in 1503 king Ferdinand III gave it the title of civitas ingeniosa ("ingenious city"). In the following centuries the city expanded enlarging its medieval limits, and new edificies, churches and convents were built. These, however, were all totally destroyed by the earthquake of January 11, 1693. The devastation of the city onthe Alveria Mount was accompanied by that of the economy, which relied mainly on the agricultural produces (vine, oil, cereals, rice, cotton) and a renowned handicraft.
The present town, rebuilt after the earthquake on the left bank of River Asinaro, was planned on a grid system by Giovanni Battista Landolina. The new city occupied a position nearer to the Ionian Sea. The presence of architects like Rosario Gagliardi, Francesco Sortino and others, made the new Noto a masterpiece of Sicilian Baroque, dubbed Stone Garden by Cesare Brandi and currently listed among the UNESCO World Heritage Sites. The new edifices are characterized by a soft tufa stone which under the sun action has assumed a typical honey tonality.
The city, which had lost its provincial capital status in 1817, rebelled against the House of Bourbon on May 16, 1860, leaving its gates open to Giuseppe Garibaldi and his expedition. On October 21 of the same year a plebiscite signed the annexion of Noto to the Piedmont.
In 1844 Noto was named a bishopric seat, but suffered in 1866 the abolition of the religious guilds, which were deeply linked to the city's structure and edifices.
Not was freed from the fascist dictature in the July of 1943. At the referendum of 1946, the Notinesi voted in favour of the monarchy. Image:Villadorata02 1024.jpg
Main monuments
Noto is famous for its fine buildings of the early 18th century, considered among the main masterpieces in the Sicilian baroque style.
Palaces and other buildings
- Ducezio Palace, the current Town Hall. It was designed by Vincenzo Sinagra, it houses neo-classical style frescoes by Antonio Mazza.
- Astuto Palace.
- Villadorata palace on Via Nicolaci which was built by P. Labisi in 1733.
Religious buildings
- Cathedral of San Nicolò di Mira (finished 1776).
- Church of Santa Caterina.
- Church of San Corrado.
- Church of the Collegio di San Carlo.
- Church of the Jesus Name.
- Monastery of Santa Chiara (1735), designed by Gagliardi. It has an oval plant, the interior divided by twelve columns housing a Madonna with Child from the 16th century.
- Church of San Michele Arcangelo.
- Church of Santa Maria della Scala.
- Church of Santissimo Salvatore.
- Town Library.
- Church of San Nicola di Mira.
- Church of Santa Chiara.
Image:Noto Piazza Immacolata.jpg Image:Noto San Domenico.jpg
- Church of San Francesco D’Assisi (Immacolata).
- Church of the Spirito Santo.
- Church of Ecce Homo.
- Church of Santa Maria dell'Arco.
- Church of the Anime Sante del Purgatorio ("Holy Souls of the Purgatory").
- Church of Santa Maria della Rotonda.
- Church of the Santissima Trinità.
- Church of San Carlo al Corso (by Rosario Gagliardi)
- Church of Santa Maria del Carmelo.
- Church of San Pietro Martire.
- Church of San Michele Arcangelo.
- Church of San Domenico (by Rosario Gagliardi).
- Church of Sant'Antonio Abate.
- Church of Santa Caterina.
- Church of the Crociferio di San Camillo.
- Church of Montevergine (San Girolamo).
- Church of Santissimo Salvatore.
- Church of San Andrea Apostolo.
- Church of San Pietro delle Rose (Saints Peter and Paul).
- Church of the SS. Crucifix.
- Church of San Egidio Vescovo.
- Church of Santa Maria del Gesù.
- Church of Annunziata.
- Church of Santa Agata.
Archaeological finds
Four miles to the south of Noto, on the left bank of the Tellaro (Helorus) (E Pais, Atakia, Pisa, 1891, p. 75 seq.) stands a stone column about 10 m (35 ft) in height, which is believed to be a memorial of the surrender of Nicias. This is uncertain; but, in any case, in the 3rd century BC a tomb was excavated in the rectangular area which surrounds it, destroying apparently a pre-existing tomb. The later burial belongs to the necropolis of the small town of Heloron, 750 m to the southeast, some remains of which have been discovered. It was a small advanced post of Syracuse, belonging probably to the 6th century BC.
Culture
In the Noto neighbourhood a 32 m-antenna radiotelescope was installed by the Istituto di Radioastronomia di Bologna, part of CNR. It works in collaboration with a similar instrument in Medicina, Province of Bologna.
References
This article incorporates text from the Encyclopædia Britannica Eleventh Edition{{#if:{{{article|}}}| article {{#if:{{{url|}}}|[{{{url|}}}}} "{{{article}}}"{{#if:{{{url|}}}|]}}{{#if:{{{author|}}}| by {{{author}}}}}}}, a publication now in the public domain.de:Noto es:Noto fr:Noto it:Noto la:Netum ja:ノート (イタリア) pl:Noto pt:Noto scn:Nuotu