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 the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

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

One city, three sites

Modica, a city with ancient origins

The senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation

Discovering the mother church

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

A hall for the feasts

A feast only for Scicli

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

The disastrous earthquake

Wonderful quick decorations

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

The internal colours

A prominent church

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

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

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

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

An eagle-shaped city

Feast days

Prominent façade

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

Norman apses

The two churches

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

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

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

A square as the heart of the city

The Staircase of Angels

A city in colour

New roads for Catania

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

Limestone, the colour of harmony

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

The interior and its masterpieces

Searching for colour

The city of museums

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

The wall comes to life

The colours of the cathedral

Many owners, one palace

A Nobel Prize in Modica

A triumph of colour

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

One city, two sites

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

Feasting in Palazzolo

A long reconstruction

Between white and black

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

A museum to save a tradition

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

St. Sebastian, so much work!

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

The Maiolica of the staircase

The chocolate of Modica

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

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

Some prestigious works

Connections with other UNESCO sites

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

A symbol for the town

A majestic and luminous church

A colourful floor

The church of Carmine

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

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

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

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

The Baroque town by the sea

A miniature city

Some masterpieces

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

The theatre of taste

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

Two illustrious patron saints

The façade used as a puppet theatre

From International Gothic to present day

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

A half-Baroque church

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

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

The Burgos crucifix

A small room with a golden entrance

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

A talking palace

A new site for a new city

A new site for a new church