Palazzo Rau Della Ferla in Noto takes its name from the nobiliary family Rau, marquesses who owned the fief “La Ferla”. The style of building is Late Baroque. Placed behind Ducezio’s Palace, it is the only nobiliar palace built in front of the cathedral. The frontage of the building is ordered and elegant and divided in two levels of windows, which are hung with floreal bas-rielefs. Every full-lenght window is topped with a relief of a seashell on acanthus leaves.

A great white marble stairway allows to access to the first floor (piano nobile),  where you can admire the french frescoes in the halls. At the beginning of the XXth century four rooms were added in the part of the building which stays in front of the town hall. They are provided with a secret passage for the servants that connects the halls with the utility rooms.  On the ground floor an aedicula gives onto via Barone Astuto. The excellent inner courtyard with the original floor made with river cobblestone, a typical treat of some buildings of the city back in the 18th century, hosts stock rooms, stables, conversation rooms, linked between them through a bright arcaded loggia that gives onto via Ducezio.

 

Exhibitions

In the rooms of Palazzo Rau the talented Vincenzo Medica architect under the patronage of Comune di Noto, takes care of international art exhibitions.