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 Benedictine Monastery and San NicoIò l’Arena

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

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

The Baroque town by the sea

A triumph of colour

Prominent façade

The internal colours

The interior and its masterpieces

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

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

The colours of the cathedral

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

Searching for colour

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

A symbol for the town

The city of museums

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

Some prestigious works

Feast days

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

A colourful floor

Limestone, the colour of harmony

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

A majestic and luminous church

The disastrous earthquake

The wall comes to life

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

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

A miniature city

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

The Staircase of Angels

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

One city, two sites

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

The senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

A small room with a golden entrance

A long reconstruction

A new site for a new church

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

A half-Baroque church

The façade used as a puppet theatre

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

A new site for a new city

The chocolate of Modica

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

The Maiolica of the staircase

Two illustrious patron saints

Some masterpieces

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

Modica, a city with ancient origins

Wonderful quick decorations

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

Between white and black

Many owners, one palace

A square as the heart of the city

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

The two churches

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

A Nobel Prize in Modica

Feasting in Palazzolo

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

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

One city, three sites

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

Discovering the mother church

A museum to save a tradition

New roads for Catania

A talking palace

The church of Carmine

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

A feast only for Scicli

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

A prominent church

A city in colour

An eagle-shaped city

Connections with other UNESCO sites

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

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

From International Gothic to present day

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

The theatre of taste

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

A hall for the feasts

St. Sebastian, so much work!

Norman apses

The Burgos crucifix