Introduction to Val di Noto

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

Baroque is a particular cultural and artistic period that began in Rome in the early 17th century before spreading across Europe, in various forms, in the second half of the century.
The negative connotation attributed to Baroque by 18th-century critics, who also coined the term, was aimed at artists who in their architecture and painting had moved away from the principles of harmony, beauty and functionality found in Renaissance culture.
18th-century theorists saw and recognised in Baroque art bizarre, eccentric and fantastic elements in stark contrast with the harmony derived from the rigorous application of geometric, proportional principles used in the Renaissance.
Baroque was considered in a more positive light from the end of the 19th century, a period that recognised the importance in art of a new perception of space, with its symbolic and scenographic force that was widely accepted by both the aristocratic and less affluent classes.

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

A hall for the feasts

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

The disastrous earthquake

One city, three sites

Wonderful quick decorations

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

The chocolate of Modica

A symbol for the town

Discovering the mother church

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

The wall comes to life

St. Sebastian, so much work!

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

The façade used as a puppet theatre

An eagle-shaped city

A museum to save a tradition

The internal colours

The Burgos crucifix

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

Norman apses

A colourful floor

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

A new site for a new city

A feast only for Scicli

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

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

A triumph of colour

The theatre of taste

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

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

Feasting in Palazzolo

Limestone, the colour of harmony

A half-Baroque church

A prominent church

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

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

From International Gothic to present day

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

The church of Carmine

The senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation

The interior and its masterpieces

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

The Staircase of Angels

One city, two sites

A city in colour

Connections with other UNESCO sites

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

Searching for colour

Between white and black

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

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

A small room with a golden entrance

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

A Nobel Prize in Modica

A miniature city

Some masterpieces

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

Some prestigious works

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

A square as the heart of the city

Feast days

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

Two illustrious patron saints

Prominent façade

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

The colours of the cathedral

A long reconstruction

A majestic and luminous church

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

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

New roads for Catania

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

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

Many owners, one palace

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

The two churches

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

A talking palace

A new site for a new church

The city of museums

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

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

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

The Baroque town by the sea

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

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

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

The Maiolica of the staircase

Modica, a city with ancient origins