Introduction to Val di Noto

Fantasies of light and colour

Introduction to the route

The proposed educational route retraces the main events of the history of the Val di Noto.
Through the suggested itineraries it intends to lead younger children along their discovery of the eight towns: Catania, Militello in Val di Catania, Caltagirone, Ragusa, Modica, Scicli, Palazzolo Acreide and Noto.
This is a unique chance and opportunity to examine a territory rich in history.
Following the tragic earthquake of 1693, the towns of the Val di Noto were rebuilt with such homogeneity and richness from an artistic and architectural point of view that they were included in the UNESCO World Heritage List.
The post-earthquake reconstruction is examined through many aspects that revolve around the brightness of paint colours, effects and plays on light and shadow that make the heritage a particularly fascinating and completely unusual sight. As well as featuring prominently in the lively character of the communities that inhabit these places, colour accompanies our gaze in a conscious interpretation of architectural shapes and unique landscapes, becoming an inspiration for artisanal production, too.
The children, then, can expect to experience many, powerful emotions.

The senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation

The internal colours

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

A square as the heart of the city

The chocolate of Modica

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

The senses tell the Benedictine Monastery and San NicoIò l’Arena

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

A prominent church

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

From the contrast of the exterior to the internal jubilation of colours

Discovering the mother church

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

St. Sebastian, so much work!

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

A triumph of colour

A small room with a golden entrance

The senses tell the story of the Badia di Sant’Agata

Connections with other UNESCO sites

The interior and its masterpieces

Two illustrious patron saints

The disastrous earthquake

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

Many owners, one palace

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

The Staircase of Angels

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

A miniature city

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

A new site for a new church

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

A feast only for Scicli

One city, two sites

The wall comes to life

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giovanni Battista

A hall for the feasts

Some prestigious works

Limestone, the colour of harmony

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

The colours of the cathedral

A half-Baroque church

A museum to save a tradition

Wonderful quick decorations

The role of the religious orders in rebuilding the Val di Noto

A talking palace

Feasting in Palazzolo

Between white and black

The church of Carmine

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Giovanni Evangelista

Feast days

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

The city of museums

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

A new site for a new city

New roads for Catania

The two churches

The Maiolica of the staircase

The senses tell the story of the staircase of Santa Maria del Monte

The senses tell the Mother Church of San Nicolò and of the Santissimo Salvatore

The façade used as a puppet theatre

The Burgos crucifix

A colourful floor

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

Modica, a city with ancient origins

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Giuliano ai Crociferi

An eagle-shaped city

Prominent façade

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

Church of San Giuliano (St. Julian) on Via dei Crociferi: reconstruction

A majestic and luminous church

Freedom of worship and the role of the Catholic Church in the diffusion of Baroque

The Baroque town by the sea

From International Gothic to present day

The senses tell the story of the church of Santa Maria del Carmelo

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

A Nobel Prize in Modica

Searching for colour

A symbol for the town

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

A long reconstruction

The theatre of taste

Some masterpieces

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

Norman apses

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

A city in colour

One city, three sites

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)