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 senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

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

Wonderful quick decorations

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

The chocolate of Modica

The wall comes to life

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

A small room with a golden entrance

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

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

A half-Baroque church

One city, three sites

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

A colourful floor

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

St. Sebastian, so much work!

Searching for colour

An eagle-shaped city

The Maiolica of the staircase

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

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

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

A long reconstruction

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

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

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

A hall for the feasts

A prominent church

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

Some prestigious works

A city in colour

Limestone, the colour of harmony

The city of museums

A museum to save a tradition

A new site for a new church

Discovering the mother church

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

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

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

Two illustrious patron saints

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

A feast only for Scicli

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

One city, two sites

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

Feasting in Palazzolo

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

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

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

A new site for a new city

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

The interior and its masterpieces

Between white and black

New roads for Catania

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

From International Gothic to present day

Modica, a city with ancient origins

The Baroque town by the sea

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

A square as the heart of the city

Norman apses

The disastrous earthquake

Connections with other UNESCO sites

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

A Nobel Prize in Modica

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

Many owners, one palace

A miniature city

A majestic and luminous church

The colours of the cathedral

A triumph of colour

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

The church of Carmine

The internal colours

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

A symbol for the town

Feast days

A talking palace

The Staircase of Angels

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

The theatre of taste

The Burgos crucifix

Prominent façade

The façade used as a puppet theatre

Some masterpieces

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

The two churches

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto