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 two churches

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

A hall for the feasts

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

One city, two sites

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

A colourful floor

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

New roads for Catania

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

A half-Baroque church

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

One city, three sites

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

Norman apses

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

A square as the heart of the city

St. Sebastian, so much work!

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

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

An eagle-shaped city

Limestone, the colour of harmony

The Baroque town by the sea

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

The church of Carmine

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

Prominent façade

Feast days

A new site for a new church

Some prestigious works

The Maiolica of the staircase

Modica, a city with ancient origins

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

A museum to save a tradition

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

A small room with a golden entrance

Searching for colour

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

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

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

Connections with other UNESCO sites

A long reconstruction

Discovering the mother church

A feast only for Scicli

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

A new site for a new city

Many owners, one palace

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

Two illustrious patron saints

The wall comes to life

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

A Nobel Prize in Modica

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

From International Gothic to present day

A talking palace

The internal colours

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

The chocolate of Modica

The Burgos crucifix

The Staircase of Angels

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

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

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

The city of museums

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

A prominent church

The theatre of taste

The senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation

The disastrous earthquake

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

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

Some masterpieces

The interior and its masterpieces

The colours of the cathedral

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

A miniature city

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

Wonderful quick decorations

Between white and black

The façade used as a puppet theatre

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

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

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

A symbol for the town

A majestic and luminous church

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

A triumph of colour

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

Feasting in Palazzolo

A city in colour