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 interior and its masterpieces

Some masterpieces

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

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

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

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

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

Discovering the mother church

A triumph of colour

The senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation

A talking palace

A city in colour

Prominent façade

Modica, a city with ancient origins

A majestic and luminous church

A new site for a new church

The Burgos crucifix

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

Two illustrious patron saints

A half-Baroque church

The church of Carmine

A symbol for the town

Some prestigious works

A long reconstruction

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

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

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

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

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

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

St. Sebastian, so much work!

A miniature city

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

An eagle-shaped city

A hall for the feasts

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

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

The two churches

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

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

A museum to save a tradition

The city of museums

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

The colours of the cathedral

The wall comes to life

The façade used as a puppet theatre

One city, three sites

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

A new site for a new city

A square as the heart of the city

The Staircase of Angels

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

A feast only for Scicli

The Maiolica of the staircase

The internal colours

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

Limestone, the colour of harmony

A small room with a golden entrance

A prominent church

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

The disastrous earthquake

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

Feasting in Palazzolo

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

The Baroque town by the sea

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

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

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

From International Gothic to present day

Searching for colour

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

Norman apses

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

A Nobel Prize in Modica

Connections with other UNESCO sites

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

New roads for Catania

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

Wonderful quick decorations

Feast days

The theatre of taste

One city, two sites

Between white and black

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

Many owners, one palace

A colourful floor

The chocolate of Modica

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci