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.

Feast days

The colours of the cathedral

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

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

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

Modica, a city with ancient origins

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

A square as the heart of the city

A city in colour

Some prestigious works

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

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

The church of Carmine

A Nobel Prize in Modica

A long reconstruction

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

The senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation

A triumph of colour

The wall comes to life

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

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

A new site for a new city

An eagle-shaped city

The disastrous earthquake

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

A miniature city

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

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

A symbol for the town

From International Gothic to present day

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

One city, two sites

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

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

Some masterpieces

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

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

Many owners, one palace

The Maiolica of the staircase

Two illustrious patron saints

Wonderful quick decorations

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

The Baroque town by the sea

The two churches

New roads for Catania

Searching for colour

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

Limestone, the colour of harmony

The theatre of taste

The Burgos crucifix

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

A hall for the feasts

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

The chocolate of Modica

Between white and black

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

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

A colourful floor

A prominent church

Connections with other UNESCO sites

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

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

St. Sebastian, so much work!

Discovering the mother church

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

The interior and its masterpieces

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

A new site for a new church

A museum to save a tradition

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

A majestic and luminous church

A talking palace

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

A small room with a golden entrance

A half-Baroque church

The internal colours

One city, three sites

The city of museums

Feasting in Palazzolo

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

The Staircase of Angels

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

A feast only for Scicli

The façade used as a puppet theatre

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

Prominent façade

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

Norman apses

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers