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The Royal Gate was erected in 1838 to greet King Ferdinand II. It offers a grand entrance to Corso Vittorio Emanuele, Noto’s main street .

On opposite sides of the street are the convent of Santa Chiara and the monastery of Santissimo Salvatore. Santa Chiara’s oval interior houses a 16th-century Madonna and Child sculpted by Sicilian Antonello Gagini.

The lovely town square is home to the Palazzo Ducezio, now the town hall , designed by Sinatra in 1742. A dramatic, recessed loggia runs the length of the façade.

The cathedral sits on top of Labisi’s grand staircase and was built in stages throughout the 18th century with input from both Gagliardi and Sinatra. The façade is flanked by two square towers decorated with Corinthian pilasters. The cupola collapsed in 1996 but is under repair.

Built in 1730, the church greets visitors with its graceful concave façade. The orders of the wonderfully elegant columns, with their swollen middles, progress up the façade: Doric to Ionic and finally Corinthian. The octagonal dome is silhouetted against the sky; climb up to the top for beautiful views over the town.

Gagliardi’s masterpiece (1737) has an exuberant, convex façade which pulsates with niches and columns creating dramatic contrasts of light and shade.

Looking up via Nicolaci, this elegantly simple church , with its concave façade, theatrically marks the end of the street. Nearby is Palazzo Nicolaci, known for its decorated balconies supported by carved horses and grotesques.

Via Cavour is lined with palazzi of noble families. The Palazzo Trigona is a stately Baroque design of 1781 with characteristically curved balconies and a frescoed interior. On the corner to the left is Palazzo Battaglia, a late Baroque work by Gagliardi, and further down on the right is the Neo-Classical Palazzo Castelluccio.

Noto’s lively market was at one time held in this courtyard, but sadly, butchers and bakers have now been replaced by boutiques. However, there is a market in town every Monday across from San Domenico .

The unfinished church in Noto Alta (Upper Noto), is a sombre Gagliardi design of 1715. It contains many works of art, notably Madonna della Neve signed by Francesco Laurana in 1471.