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.

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

A new site for a new city

Limestone, the colour of harmony

A symbol for the town

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

Prominent façade

A small room with a golden entrance

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

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

An eagle-shaped city

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

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

A square as the heart of the city

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

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

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

Between white and black

New roads for Catania

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

The Maiolica of the staircase

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

A new site for a new church

A city in colour

Two illustrious patron saints

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

Norman apses

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

The disastrous earthquake

From International Gothic to present day

A feast only for Scicli

A prominent church

A talking palace

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

A miniature city

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

The colours of the cathedral

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

Searching for colour

The Baroque town by the sea

A half-Baroque church

Some prestigious works

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

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

Some masterpieces

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

The internal colours

The senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation

The chocolate of Modica

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

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

A colourful floor

A long reconstruction

St. Sebastian, so much work!

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

The church of Carmine

The façade used as a puppet theatre

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

Feast days

The wall comes to life

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

Many owners, one palace

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

Connections with other UNESCO sites

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

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

A Nobel Prize in Modica

A majestic and luminous church

Modica, a city with ancient origins

The theatre of taste

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

A hall for the feasts

One city, two sites

A triumph of colour

Discovering the mother church

Wonderful quick decorations

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

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

The city of museums

The Burgos crucifix

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

The interior and its masterpieces

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

One city, three sites

The two churches

The Staircase of Angels

A museum to save a tradition

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

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

Feasting in Palazzolo