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 theatre of taste

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

The Maiolica of the staircase

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

New roads for Catania

The disastrous earthquake

Prominent façade

A Nobel Prize in Modica

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

Connections with other UNESCO sites

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

A small room with a golden entrance

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

St. Sebastian, so much work!

Between white and black

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

The internal colours

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

From International Gothic to present day

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

The city of museums

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

A triumph of colour

A colourful floor

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

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

A miniature city

Discovering the mother church

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

Feasting in Palazzolo

The façade used as a puppet theatre

The Baroque town by the sea

Many owners, one palace

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

A long reconstruction

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

The senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation

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

Searching for colour

A new site for a new city

A hall for the feasts

A new site for a new church

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

A prominent church

The church of Carmine

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

Modica, a city with ancient origins

The Burgos crucifix

The interior and its masterpieces

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

Norman apses

Some masterpieces

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

A feast only for Scicli

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

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

A talking palace

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

A half-Baroque church

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

A city in colour

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

A square as the heart of the city

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

The chocolate of Modica

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

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

Two illustrious patron saints

A museum to save a tradition

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

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

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

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

The wall comes to life

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

A symbol for the town

One city, two sites

Limestone, the colour of harmony

An eagle-shaped city

One city, three sites

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

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

A majestic and luminous church

The colours of the cathedral

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

Feast days

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

Some prestigious works

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

Wonderful quick decorations

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

The Staircase of Angels

The two churches

A new palace for the La Rocca lords