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 prestigious works

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

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

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

A majestic and luminous church

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

Prominent façade

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

The Staircase of Angels

A small room with a golden entrance

The chocolate of Modica

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

The Baroque town by the sea

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

Between white and black

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

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

The city of museums

A new site for a new church

A symbol for the town

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

Many owners, one palace

The façade used as a puppet theatre

The two churches

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

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

Modica, a city with ancient origins

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

An eagle-shaped city

One city, two sites

A triumph of colour

The theatre of taste

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

Feasting in Palazzolo

St. Sebastian, so much work!

New roads for Catania

A feast only for Scicli

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

Some masterpieces

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

A hall for the feasts

The wall comes to life

The Maiolica of the staircase

Discovering the mother church

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

The church of Carmine

From International Gothic to present day

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

The disastrous earthquake

The colours of the cathedral

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

A half-Baroque church

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

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

Limestone, the colour of harmony

Connections with other UNESCO sites

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

Feast days

A talking palace

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

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

A museum to save a tradition

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

A colourful floor

The senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation

Wonderful quick decorations

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

One city, three sites

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

Norman apses

The Burgos crucifix

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

A new site for a new city

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

A long reconstruction

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

A Nobel Prize in Modica

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

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

Two illustrious patron saints

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

A miniature city

The internal colours

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

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

A city in colour

A square as the heart of the city

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

A prominent church

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

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

Searching for colour

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century