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.

Two illustrious patron saints

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

One city, three sites

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

The Burgos crucifix

A colourful floor

The two churches

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

The theatre of taste

A new site for a new church

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

Prominent façade

St. Sebastian, so much work!

A prominent church

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

A Nobel Prize in Modica

A feast only for Scicli

A square as the heart of the city

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

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

Many owners, one palace

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

The façade used as a puppet theatre

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

The city of museums

Feast days

The interior and its masterpieces

Limestone, the colour of harmony

The Staircase of Angels

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

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

The senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation

Wonderful quick decorations

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

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

Connections with other UNESCO sites

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

The chocolate of Modica

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

Norman apses

A half-Baroque church

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

A city in colour

The internal colours

A symbol for the town

The Maiolica of the staircase

The colours of the cathedral

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

A small room with a golden entrance

Searching for colour

Discovering the mother church

A museum to save a tradition

From International Gothic to present day

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

The church of Carmine

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

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

A long reconstruction

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

Between white and black

New roads for Catania

Some masterpieces

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

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

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

A talking palace

A new site for a new city

Some prestigious works

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

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

A triumph of colour

Feasting in Palazzolo

A hall for the feasts

Modica, a city with ancient origins

The wall comes to life

A majestic and luminous church

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

An eagle-shaped city

The Baroque town by the sea

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

A miniature city

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

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

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

One city, two sites

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

The disastrous earthquake