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.

A prominent church

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

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

A colourful floor

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

The Staircase of Angels

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

Prominent façade

The church of Carmine

The theatre of taste

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

Searching for colour

A half-Baroque church

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

A museum to save a tradition

The Maiolica of the staircase

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

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

A majestic and luminous church

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

New roads for Catania

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

A symbol for the town

A hall for the feasts

The internal colours

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

Feasting in Palazzolo

The colours of the cathedral

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

The interior and its masterpieces

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

The Burgos crucifix

The façade used as a puppet theatre

Norman apses

The wall comes to life

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

Connections with other UNESCO sites

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

A new site for a new city

Wonderful quick decorations

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

A feast only for Scicli

A Nobel Prize in Modica

Some masterpieces

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

The two churches

Modica, a city with ancient origins

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

Feast days

Between white and black

A long reconstruction

One city, two sites

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

A triumph of colour

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

Discovering the mother church

The city of museums

One city, three sites

Limestone, the colour of harmony

The disastrous earthquake

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

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

Some prestigious works

A city in colour

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

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

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

Two illustrious patron saints

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

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

The Baroque town by the sea

The senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation

A small room with a golden entrance

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

St. Sebastian, so much work!

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

A miniature city

A talking palace

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

An eagle-shaped city

From International Gothic to present day

The chocolate of Modica

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

A square as the heart of the city

Many owners, one palace

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

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

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

A new site for a new church