Connections with other UNESCO sites

The route in the Val di Noto is a journey to discover some of the cities in eastern Sicily rebuilt after the tragic earthquake of 1693.
New cities, new churches and new stately palaces were rebuilt.
The cities were designed rationally, and the careful and well-thought-out street layout made up of roads that intersected at right angles was one of the characteristic elements of the reconstruction. This element can be found not only in the cities of the Val di Noto, but in other UNESCO heritage cities, such as Agrigento and Palermo.
The latter has an additional link to Catania: both cities one century later saw the construction of the Quattro Canti, a large and scenic square created from the intersection of two streets at a right angle.
But the link between the Sicilian UNESCO sites does not end here.
The wonderful archaeological site of Piazza Armerina shows a great variety and wealth of materials, a sign that the inhabitant of the Roman villa must have been a prominent figure. This need to express social status through one’s residence was not only typical of the 4th century but also of the 18th century, as seen by Palazzo Tommasi-Rosso and Palazzo Nicolaci.
In this analysis, which aims to link the UNESCO sites together, we must stress the role played by religious orders.
In every city they built splendid cathedrals, churches and monasteries, like those of the Benedictines in Catania and the Aeolian Islands.
These are joined by traditional religious feasts, which hold a special place in the hearts of Sicilians. Long celebrations are dedicated, to name but a few, to St. Agatha in Catania, St. Lucy in Syracuse and St. Rosalia in Palermo.

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

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

A feast only for Scicli

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

Feast days

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

The church of Carmine

Norman apses

A talking palace

A miniature city

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

The colours of the cathedral

Searching for colour

The Burgos crucifix

Some masterpieces

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

St. Sebastian, so much work!

A small room with a golden entrance

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

Many owners, one palace

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

A hall for the feasts

A colourful floor

One city, three sites

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

New roads for Catania

The internal colours

Modica, a city with ancient origins

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

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

A square as the heart of the city

The Maiolica of the staircase

One city, two sites

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

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

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

Feasting in Palazzolo

Between white and black

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

Two illustrious patron saints

The interior and its masterpieces

Prominent façade

The senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation

A new site for a new church

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

The disastrous earthquake

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

A triumph of colour

Wonderful quick decorations

A prominent church

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

From International Gothic to present day

Connections with other UNESCO sites

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

The façade used as a puppet theatre

A long reconstruction

The theatre of taste

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

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

An eagle-shaped city

The city of museums

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

The two churches

A symbol for the town

The Baroque town by the sea

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

A museum to save a tradition

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

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

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

A new site for a new city

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

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

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

A half-Baroque church

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

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

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

The wall comes to life

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

Discovering the mother church

A city in colour

Limestone, the colour of harmony

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

The Staircase of Angels

A Nobel Prize in Modica

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

Some prestigious works

A majestic and luminous church

The chocolate of Modica