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

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

One city, three sites

A hall for the feasts

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

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

A majestic and luminous church

Limestone, the colour of harmony

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

A new site for a new church

A talking palace

From International Gothic to present day

The theatre of taste

The chocolate of Modica

Norman apses

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

The senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation

Some prestigious works

Between white and black

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

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

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

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

A square as the heart of the city

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

An eagle-shaped city

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

New roads for Catania

The colours of the cathedral

Some masterpieces

A half-Baroque church

The Burgos crucifix

Modica, a city with ancient origins

The disastrous earthquake

A prominent church

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

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

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

Feasting in Palazzolo

A long reconstruction

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

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

Prominent façade

The city of museums

A new site for a new city

The Staircase of Angels

The internal colours

The façade used as a puppet theatre

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

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

A museum to save a tradition

A miniature city

The wall comes to life

A feast only for Scicli

A triumph of colour

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

A colourful floor

A Nobel Prize in Modica

A city in colour

The interior and its masterpieces

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

Two illustrious patron saints

Wonderful quick decorations

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

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

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

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

Many owners, one palace

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

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

The church of Carmine

Searching for colour

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

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

Discovering the mother church

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

One city, two sites

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

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

The two churches

St. Sebastian, so much work!

A small room with a golden entrance

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

The Maiolica of the staircase

Connections with other UNESCO sites

A symbol for the town

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

Feast days

The Baroque town by the sea