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 staircase of Santa Maria del Monte

The church of Carmine

The colours of the cathedral

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

Some prestigious works

One city, three sites

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

A colourful floor

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

A museum to save a tradition

Feast days

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

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

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

A feast only for Scicli

A Nobel Prize in Modica

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

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

A miniature city

Discovering the mother church

One city, two sites

The Maiolica of the staircase

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

Feasting in Palazzolo

The senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation

Limestone, the colour of harmony

The façade used as a puppet theatre

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

Many owners, one palace

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

The theatre of taste

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

St. Sebastian, so much work!

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

A talking palace

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

A triumph of colour

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

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

The wall comes to life

The Baroque town by the sea

Connections with other UNESCO sites

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

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

The chocolate of Modica

A half-Baroque church

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

A square as the heart of the city

A long reconstruction

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

New roads for Catania

A new site for a new church

A city in colour

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

A hall for the feasts

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

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

The disastrous earthquake

A small room with a golden entrance

A symbol for the town

The interior and its masterpieces

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

From International Gothic to present day

Modica, a city with ancient origins

Norman apses

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

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

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

Two illustrious patron saints

The two churches

The Burgos crucifix

A majestic and luminous church

The internal colours

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

Prominent façade

A prominent church

Searching for colour

Some masterpieces

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

Between white and black

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

A new site for a new city

The Staircase of Angels

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

The city of museums

Wonderful quick decorations

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

An eagle-shaped city

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?