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.

Some masterpieces

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

A colourful floor

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

Feasting in Palazzolo

A square as the heart of the city

A museum to save a tradition

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

The Burgos crucifix

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

One city, two sites

St. Sebastian, so much work!

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

A hall for the feasts

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

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

The wall comes to life

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

The theatre of taste

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

The church of Carmine

A small room with a golden entrance

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

The Maiolica of the staircase

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

One city, three sites

Two illustrious patron saints

New roads for Catania

Connections with other UNESCO sites

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

Limestone, the colour of harmony

Norman apses

A feast only for Scicli

Searching for colour

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

Modica, a city with ancient origins

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

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

Many owners, one palace

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

The colours of the cathedral

The senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation

From International Gothic to present day

A majestic and luminous church

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

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

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

The Baroque town by the sea

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

The internal colours

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

A city in colour

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

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

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

The disastrous earthquake

Feast days

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

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

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

A symbol for the town

Between white and black

The chocolate of Modica

Discovering the mother church

A triumph of colour

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

Wonderful quick decorations

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

A talking palace

The interior and its masterpieces

A Nobel Prize in Modica

The façade used as a puppet theatre

Prominent façade

The Staircase of Angels

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

A miniature city

A long reconstruction

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

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

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

A half-Baroque church

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

An eagle-shaped city

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

Some prestigious works

A prominent church

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

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

The two churches

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

A new site for a new church

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

The city of museums

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

A new site for a new city