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 San Benedetto

A talking palace

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

Connections with other UNESCO sites

Wonderful quick decorations

A Nobel Prize in Modica

The Staircase of Angels

A triumph of colour

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

The colours of the cathedral

Limestone, the colour of harmony

The wall comes to life

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

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

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

A square as the heart of the city

From International Gothic to present day

The theatre of taste

New roads for Catania

The internal colours

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

Feasting in Palazzolo

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

A small room with a golden entrance

A miniature city

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

The church of Carmine

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

A half-Baroque church

A hall for the feasts

Two illustrious patron saints

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

The façade used as a puppet theatre

A new site for a new city

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

The Baroque town by the sea

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

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

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

Modica, a city with ancient origins

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

Prominent façade

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

Feast days

A colourful floor

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

Norman apses

St. Sebastian, so much work!

Discovering the mother church

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

Searching for colour

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

One city, two sites

Many owners, one palace

Some prestigious works

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

One city, three sites

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

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

A symbol for the town

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

A new site for a new church

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

The Maiolica of the staircase

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

The Burgos crucifix

A feast only for Scicli

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

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

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

A long reconstruction

The interior and its masterpieces

The disastrous earthquake

The senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

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

A museum to save a tradition

An eagle-shaped city

The chocolate of Modica

The city of museums

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

A city in colour

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

Between white and black

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

Some masterpieces

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

A majestic and luminous church

The two churches

A prominent church