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.

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

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

A city in colour

The chocolate of Modica

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

Searching for colour

A symbol for the town

The Burgos crucifix

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

A talking palace

New roads for Catania

The theatre of taste

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

One city, two sites

The city of museums

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

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

A miniature city

The façade used as a puppet theatre

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

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

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

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

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

A majestic and luminous church

Between white and black

Feast days

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

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

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

A prominent church

A new site for a new city

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

St. Sebastian, so much work!

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

The senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation

An eagle-shaped city

Some masterpieces

One city, three sites

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

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

The wall comes to life

The Baroque town by the sea

Discovering the mother church

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

A colourful floor

Limestone, the colour of harmony

Feasting in Palazzolo

Many owners, one palace

Two illustrious patron saints

The internal colours

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

A half-Baroque church

The Staircase of Angels

The church of Carmine

The disastrous earthquake

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

Some prestigious works

A new site for a new church

Connections with other UNESCO sites

A triumph of colour

The interior and its masterpieces

Modica, a city with ancient origins

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

Prominent façade

Wonderful quick decorations

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

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

A museum to save a tradition

A Nobel Prize in Modica

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

The colours of the cathedral

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

A feast only for Scicli

From International Gothic to present day

The two churches

The Maiolica of the staircase

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

Norman apses

A small room with a golden entrance

A hall for the feasts

A long reconstruction

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

A square as the heart of the city

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