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 colours of the cathedral

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

The Staircase of Angels

The Baroque town by the sea

One city, three sites

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

The Burgos crucifix

Feasting in Palazzolo

The two churches

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

The chocolate of Modica

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

An eagle-shaped city

The wall comes to life

Two illustrious patron saints

A city in colour

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

The internal colours

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

Modica, a city with ancient origins

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

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

The city of museums

The church of Carmine

Prominent façade

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

A Nobel Prize in Modica

Wonderful quick decorations

A prominent church

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

A small room with a golden entrance

The senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation

A triumph of colour

Some masterpieces

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

From International Gothic to present day

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

A symbol for the town

Norman apses

Many owners, one palace

A hall for the feasts

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

New roads for Catania

A feast only for Scicli

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

A long reconstruction

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

St. Sebastian, so much work!

A majestic and luminous church

Searching for colour

Connections with other UNESCO sites

A colourful floor

The Maiolica of the staircase

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

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

Between white and black

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

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

A talking palace

A miniature city

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

A museum to save a tradition

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

A new site for a new church

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

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

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

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

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

The façade used as a puppet theatre

Limestone, the colour of harmony

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

The disastrous earthquake

Discovering the mother church

The theatre of taste

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

Some prestigious works

A square as the heart of the city

One city, two sites

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

Feast days

The interior and its masterpieces

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

A half-Baroque church

A new site for a new city