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.

Prominent façade

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

A new site for a new city

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

A new site for a new church

Wonderful quick decorations

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

A miniature city

One city, two sites

The Burgos crucifix

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

A prominent church

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

The colours of the cathedral

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

The Baroque town by the sea

A colourful floor

The church of Carmine

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

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

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

A Nobel Prize in Modica

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

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

A small room with a golden entrance

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

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

A triumph of colour

Feasting in Palazzolo

The two churches

An eagle-shaped city

From International Gothic to present day

A museum to save a tradition

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

The chocolate of Modica

Two illustrious patron saints

A symbol for the town

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

Feast days

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

Some prestigious works

Between white and black

A half-Baroque church

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

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

A city in colour

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

Some masterpieces

Connections with other UNESCO sites

The disastrous earthquake

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

Many owners, one palace

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

The city of museums

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

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

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

Modica, a city with ancient origins

The senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

A majestic and luminous church

A talking palace

St. Sebastian, so much work!

Limestone, the colour of harmony

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

One city, three sites

The internal colours

The façade used as a puppet theatre

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

The wall comes to life

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

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

New roads for Catania

The theatre of taste

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

A long reconstruction

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

A feast only for Scicli

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

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

A square as the heart of the city

The Staircase of Angels

A hall for the feasts

The Maiolica of the staircase

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

The interior and its masterpieces

Discovering the mother church

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

Norman apses

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

Searching for colour

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso