Militello in Val di Catania

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

The town of Militello in Val di Catania, once called Militello in Val di Noto, is one of the centres rebuilt on a new site following the great earthquake of 1693.
Located in the northern part of the Hyblaean Mountains, it was rebuilt in a grid layout further upstream but still nearby the former site.foto militello droneThe name Militellus, or Militum Tellus, land of soldiers, is said to be of Roman origin like the town, though no proof of this has yet been found. Another fascinating theory links the name’s origin to the honey-coloured local stone, from which “Mellis Tellus”, or land of honey, would derive.
The first settlement is thought to date back to the Byzantine era near the valley of the river Lèmbasi, south of the current town. This is shown by the transformation of the necropolises into homes and places of Christian worship.
Militello was also a fortified centre and remained a fiefdom until the 18th century, following the rule of the Barresi and Branciforte lords. The town reached maximum expansion in the 17th century, before the great earthquake of 1693. In fact, the enlightened Prince Francesco Branciforte designed a new road layout and came up with a possible way to expand the town without completely changing site.
The two main churches, Santa Maria della Stella (St. Mary of the Star) and San Nicolò (St. Nicholas), were rebuilt in the upper part of the town in late Baroque style, following the destruction of the earthquake.

The façade used as a puppet theatre

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

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

An eagle-shaped city

A square as the heart of the city

Searching for colour

A triumph of colour

The Staircase of Angels

Wonderful quick decorations

The Burgos crucifix

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

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

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

Feasting in Palazzolo

The city of museums

A symbol for the town

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

The wall comes to life

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

One city, three sites

New roads for Catania

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

Two illustrious patron saints

The disastrous earthquake

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

A hall for the feasts

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

A Nobel Prize in Modica

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

The interior and its masterpieces

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

The Baroque town by the sea

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

Norman apses

A talking palace

A museum to save a tradition

The theatre of taste

A majestic and luminous church

Prominent façade

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

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

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

Between white and black

Connections with other UNESCO sites

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

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

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

A city in colour

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

The church of Carmine

A feast only for Scicli

The senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation

From International Gothic to present day

Some masterpieces

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

Feast days

St. Sebastian, so much work!

A half-Baroque church

The colours of the cathedral

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

Discovering the mother church

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

A long reconstruction

The chocolate of Modica

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

A colourful floor

A small room with a golden entrance

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

Limestone, the colour of harmony

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

The internal colours

The two churches

A new site for a new city

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

Many owners, one palace

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

A prominent church

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

A new site for a new church

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

The Maiolica of the staircase

Modica, a city with ancient origins

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

Some prestigious works

A miniature city

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

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

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

One city, two sites

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo