Introduction to Val di Noto

Fantasies of light and colour

Introduction to the route

The proposed educational route retraces the main events of the history of the Val di Noto.
Through the suggested itineraries it intends to lead younger children along their discovery of the eight towns: Catania, Militello in Val di Catania, Caltagirone, Ragusa, Modica, Scicli, Palazzolo Acreide and Noto.
This is a unique chance and opportunity to examine a territory rich in history.
Following the tragic earthquake of 1693, the towns of the Val di Noto were rebuilt with such homogeneity and richness from an artistic and architectural point of view that they were included in the UNESCO World Heritage List.
The post-earthquake reconstruction is examined through many aspects that revolve around the brightness of paint colours, effects and plays on light and shadow that make the heritage a particularly fascinating and completely unusual sight. As well as featuring prominently in the lively character of the communities that inhabit these places, colour accompanies our gaze in a conscious interpretation of architectural shapes and unique landscapes, becoming an inspiration for artisanal production, too.
The children, then, can expect to experience many, powerful emotions.

A prominent church

A talking palace

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

New roads for Catania

One city, two sites

The senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation

A majestic and luminous church

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

The Staircase of Angels

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

The Maiolica of the staircase

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

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

The façade used as a puppet theatre

A museum to save a tradition

The church of Carmine

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

The Baroque town by the sea

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

Some prestigious works

Feast days

The city of museums

The Burgos crucifix

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

The theatre of taste

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

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

The two churches

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

A hall for the feasts

The chocolate of Modica

St. Sebastian, so much work!

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

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

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

The internal colours

The interior and its masterpieces

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

Feasting in Palazzolo

One city, three sites

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

Searching for colour

Wonderful quick decorations

The disastrous earthquake

Modica, a city with ancient origins

Some masterpieces

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

A new site for a new city

An eagle-shaped city

Two illustrious patron saints

The wall comes to life

A Nobel Prize in Modica

Discovering the mother church

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

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

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

Between white and black

A city in colour

A half-Baroque church

A symbol for the town

Many owners, one palace

From International Gothic to present day

A square as the heart of the city

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

Limestone, the colour of harmony

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

Prominent façade

A small room with a golden entrance

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

A long reconstruction

The colours of the cathedral

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

A new site for a new church

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

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

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

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

A colourful floor

Norman apses

Connections with other UNESCO sites

A miniature city

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

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

A triumph of colour

A feast only for Scicli

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

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

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto