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 about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

The two churches

Searching for colour

Between white and black

Limestone, the colour of harmony

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

A Nobel Prize in Modica

A small room with a golden entrance

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

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

The interior and its masterpieces

Feasting in Palazzolo

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

A symbol for the town

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

A majestic and luminous church

Prominent façade

A triumph of colour

The colours of the cathedral

Wonderful quick decorations

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

The Burgos crucifix

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

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

The wall comes to life

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

A long reconstruction

The church of Carmine

The disastrous earthquake

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

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

A museum to save a tradition

Norman apses

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

The Staircase of Angels

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

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

A talking palace

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

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

The internal colours

A city in colour

From International Gothic to present day

Feast days

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

A new site for a new city

Discovering the mother church

The city of museums

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

One city, three sites

A colourful floor

St. Sebastian, so much work!

Some masterpieces

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

Some prestigious works

The senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation

The Maiolica of the staircase

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

A feast only for Scicli

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

The façade used as a puppet theatre

A new site for a new church

The chocolate of Modica

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

Two illustrious patron saints

New roads for Catania

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

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

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

Connections with other UNESCO sites

A miniature city

A hall for the feasts

A prominent church

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

Modica, a city with ancient origins

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

Many owners, one palace

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

One city, two sites

A square as the heart of the city

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

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

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

A half-Baroque church

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

The Baroque town by the sea

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

The theatre of taste

An eagle-shaped city

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