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.

A symbol for the town

A half-Baroque church

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

A miniature city

New roads for Catania

The disastrous earthquake

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

A talking palace

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

Wonderful quick decorations

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

A museum to save a tradition

The colours of the cathedral

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

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

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

An eagle-shaped city

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

Connections with other UNESCO sites

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

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

Many owners, one palace

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

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

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

Prominent façade

The Baroque town by the sea

A new site for a new church

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

One city, two sites

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

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

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

The chocolate of Modica

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

A feast only for Scicli

Searching for colour

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

Limestone, the colour of harmony

A small room with a golden entrance

Two illustrious patron saints

The church of Carmine

The two churches

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

The city of museums

A majestic and luminous church

From International Gothic to present day

Feasting in Palazzolo

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

A hall for the feasts

The Burgos crucifix

The internal colours

A city in colour

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

Norman apses

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

One city, three sites

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

The theatre of taste

A colourful floor

Some prestigious works

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

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

The wall comes to life

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

A new site for a new city

A triumph of colour

Some masterpieces

The Maiolica of the staircase

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

The Staircase of Angels

A square as the heart of the city

Between white and black

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

A prominent church

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

Feast days

The interior and its masterpieces

A Nobel Prize in Modica

The façade used as a puppet theatre

Modica, a city with ancient origins

A long reconstruction

The senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation

Discovering the mother church

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

St. Sebastian, so much work!

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

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara