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 about Palazzo Nicolaci

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

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

The city of museums

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

A city in colour

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

The chocolate of Modica

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

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

A new site for a new church

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

The Staircase of Angels

Prominent façade

Wonderful quick decorations

New roads for Catania

From International Gothic to present day

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

The Maiolica of the staircase

A Nobel Prize in Modica

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

A colourful floor

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

Norman apses

The theatre of taste

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

The colours of the cathedral

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

St. Sebastian, so much work!

Modica, a city with ancient origins

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

One city, two sites

A new site for a new city

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

A majestic and luminous church

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

A prominent church

Connections with other UNESCO sites

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

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

A symbol for the town

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

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

A small room with a golden entrance

The internal colours

A talking palace

The façade used as a puppet theatre

Between white and black

The Baroque town by the sea

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

Two illustrious patron saints

The disastrous earthquake

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

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

Searching for colour

Some masterpieces

The senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

One city, three sites

Feast days

A triumph of colour

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

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

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

A long reconstruction

The Burgos crucifix

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

A square as the heart of the city

Some prestigious works

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

The church of Carmine

Many owners, one palace

An eagle-shaped city

The wall comes to life

Discovering the mother church

Feasting in Palazzolo

A miniature city

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

Limestone, the colour of harmony

A hall for the feasts

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

A museum to save a tradition

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

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

The interior and its masterpieces

A feast only for Scicli

The two churches

A half-Baroque church