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 Santa Chiara

A hall for the feasts

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

The two churches

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

A museum to save a tradition

The disastrous earthquake

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

A new site for a new church

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

Prominent façade

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

From International Gothic to present day

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

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

A Nobel Prize in Modica

A new site for a new city

Some prestigious works

Wonderful quick decorations

One city, three sites

An eagle-shaped city

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

The chocolate of Modica

One city, two sites

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

St. Sebastian, so much work!

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

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

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

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

A miniature city

Discovering the mother church

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

Two illustrious patron saints

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

A feast only for Scicli

The Baroque town by the sea

Norman apses

The colours of the cathedral

The interior and its masterpieces

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

A colourful floor

Searching for colour

The theatre of taste

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

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

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

The Staircase of Angels

A majestic and luminous church

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

A symbol for the town

New roads for Catania

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

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

Limestone, the colour of harmony

Feast days

A half-Baroque church

The city of museums

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

The church of Carmine

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

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

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

The wall comes to life

Connections with other UNESCO sites

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

Some masterpieces

A prominent church

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

A long reconstruction

A square as the heart of the city

The internal colours

The façade used as a puppet theatre

Modica, a city with ancient origins

Between white and black

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

The senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation

Feasting in Palazzolo

A small room with a golden entrance

A triumph of colour

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

The Maiolica of the staircase

A city in colour

A talking palace

Many owners, one palace

The Burgos crucifix

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras