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 Burgos crucifix

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

The Baroque town by the sea

A long reconstruction

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

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

A prominent church

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

Discovering the mother church

Searching for colour

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

Many owners, one palace

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

The chocolate of Modica

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

New roads for Catania

A majestic and luminous church

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

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

From International Gothic to present day

A square as the heart of the city

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

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

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

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

Prominent façade

The theatre of taste

Between white and black

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

A Nobel Prize in Modica

Norman apses

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

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

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

The city of museums

Feast days

A talking palace

The colours of the cathedral

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

The façade used as a puppet theatre

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

The two churches

A small room with a golden entrance

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

A city in colour

The internal colours

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

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

The interior and its masterpieces

The wall comes to life

The senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation

The Maiolica of the staircase

Connections with other UNESCO sites

A half-Baroque church

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

Wonderful quick decorations

A miniature city

One city, three sites

St. Sebastian, so much work!

The church of Carmine

A museum to save a tradition

One city, two sites

A new site for a new church

Two illustrious patron saints

Some masterpieces

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

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

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

A triumph of colour

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

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

Feasting in Palazzolo

The Staircase of Angels

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

Modica, a city with ancient origins

A feast only for Scicli

A hall for the feasts

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

The disastrous earthquake

Some prestigious works

Limestone, the colour of harmony

A symbol for the town

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

A colourful floor

A new site for a new city

An eagle-shaped city