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.

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

One city, two sites

The façade used as a puppet theatre

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

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

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

A city in colour

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

Two illustrious patron saints

A long reconstruction

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

A half-Baroque church

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

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

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

The Burgos crucifix

The chocolate of Modica

The interior and its masterpieces

Feasting in Palazzolo

Searching for colour

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

Limestone, the colour of harmony

The senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation

The disastrous earthquake

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

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

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

New roads for Catania

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

A majestic and luminous church

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

The church of Carmine

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

A talking palace

The city of museums

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

Prominent façade

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

A triumph of colour

Modica, a city with ancient origins

From International Gothic to present day

The two churches

A new site for a new city

Between white and black

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

Many owners, one palace

St. Sebastian, so much work!

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

The colours of the cathedral

A prominent church

A feast only for Scicli

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

A museum to save a tradition

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

One city, three sites

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

A new site for a new church

The Maiolica of the staircase

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

Wonderful quick decorations

A symbol for the town

A miniature city

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

The theatre of taste

The internal colours

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

A square as the heart of the city

The wall comes to life

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

A small room with a golden entrance

The Baroque town by the sea

Discovering the mother church

A colourful floor

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

Some masterpieces

Some prestigious works

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

Feast days

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

Norman apses

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

A Nobel Prize in Modica

An eagle-shaped city

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

The Staircase of Angels

Connections with other UNESCO sites

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

A hall for the feasts

A new palace for the La Rocca lords