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.

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

The interior and its masterpieces

A miniature city

One city, three sites

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

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

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

A long reconstruction

A new site for a new church

Some prestigious works

Discovering the mother church

The disastrous earthquake

The two churches

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

Feasting in Palazzolo

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

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

New roads for Catania

Limestone, the colour of harmony

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

Many owners, one palace

Feast days

A small room with a golden entrance

The Maiolica of the staircase

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

St. Sebastian, so much work!

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

The Burgos crucifix

Between white and black

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

A half-Baroque church

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

A symbol for the town

A Nobel Prize in Modica

A square as the heart of the city

Some masterpieces

The façade used as a puppet theatre

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

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

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

Modica, a city with ancient origins

One city, two sites

The city of museums

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

The colours of the cathedral

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

The church of Carmine

The chocolate of Modica

A triumph of colour

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

A museum to save a tradition

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

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

The Staircase of Angels

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

A hall for the feasts

Two illustrious patron saints

The senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation

The wall comes to life

Wonderful quick decorations

Prominent façade

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

A majestic and luminous church

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

A talking palace

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

Searching for colour

The Baroque town by the sea

A city in colour

A prominent church

From International Gothic to present day

A feast only for Scicli

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

The theatre of taste

A new site for a new city

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

A colourful floor

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

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

An eagle-shaped city

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

Connections with other UNESCO sites

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

Norman apses

The internal colours