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 wall comes to life

Searching for colour

The Burgos crucifix

A long reconstruction

The Maiolica of the staircase

Prominent façade

The disastrous earthquake

The church of Carmine

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

Between white and black

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

One city, three sites

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

A miniature city

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

Wonderful quick decorations

Two illustrious patron saints

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

A new site for a new city

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

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

The Baroque town by the sea

A museum to save a tradition

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

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

Norman apses

A triumph of colour

A prominent church

A city in colour

The internal colours

Discovering the mother church

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

Many owners, one palace

A symbol for the town

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

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

The senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation

A Nobel Prize in Modica

A hall for the feasts

A half-Baroque church

A feast only for Scicli

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

The chocolate of Modica

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

Limestone, the colour of harmony

St. Sebastian, so much work!

Some prestigious works

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

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

One city, two sites

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

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

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

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

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

Feast days

Some masterpieces

Modica, a city with ancient origins

Feasting in Palazzolo

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

A talking palace

The colours of the cathedral

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

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

The two churches

The interior and its masterpieces

The façade used as a puppet theatre

A new site for a new church

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

The Staircase of Angels

A small room with a golden entrance

A colourful floor

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

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

An eagle-shaped city

A majestic and luminous church

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

New roads for Catania

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

The theatre of taste

Connections with other UNESCO sites

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

The city of museums

A square as the heart of the city

From International Gothic to present day

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

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

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers