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.

Feast days

A Nobel Prize in Modica

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

A small room with a golden entrance

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

New roads for Catania

Norman apses

The theatre of taste

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

Limestone, the colour of harmony

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

Connections with other UNESCO sites

Many owners, one palace

The colours of the cathedral

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

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

The church of Carmine

The internal colours

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

The two churches

From International Gothic to present day

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

A colourful floor

The Baroque town by the sea

The Maiolica of the staircase

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

A majestic and luminous church

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

The façade used as a puppet theatre

Some prestigious works

A new site for a new church

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

A triumph of colour

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

Discovering the mother church

The chocolate of Modica

A museum to save a tradition

Some masterpieces

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

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

The senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

A feast only for Scicli

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

A city in colour

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

A long reconstruction

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

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

St. Sebastian, so much work!

The disastrous earthquake

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

A half-Baroque church

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

A miniature city

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

The Staircase of Angels

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

An eagle-shaped city

One city, three sites

A symbol for the town

A square as the heart of the city

Searching for colour

A new site for a new city

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

Prominent façade

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

The Burgos crucifix

Wonderful quick decorations

Between white and black

The city of museums

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

Two illustrious patron saints

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

A prominent church

Modica, a city with ancient origins

One city, two sites

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

A hall for the feasts

A talking palace

Feasting in Palazzolo

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

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

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

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

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

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

The wall comes to life

The interior and its masterpieces