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 Benedetto

An eagle-shaped city

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

A triumph of colour

A prominent church

A colourful floor

The church of Carmine

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

A new site for a new city

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

The interior and its masterpieces

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

Norman apses

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

Between white and black

A long reconstruction

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

The wall comes to life

The Staircase of Angels

Searching for colour

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

The city of museums

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

Connections with other UNESCO sites

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

Some prestigious works

A Nobel Prize in Modica

One city, two sites

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

A miniature city

Modica, a city with ancient origins

The Maiolica of the staircase

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

The chocolate of Modica

A city in colour

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

A small room with a golden entrance

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

A symbol for the town

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

A feast only for Scicli

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

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

A talking palace

Prominent façade

The theatre of taste

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

St. Sebastian, so much work!

One city, three sites

Many owners, one palace

The internal colours

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

The Burgos crucifix

The senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

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

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

A square as the heart of the city

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

Feast days

Discovering the mother church

A majestic and luminous church

A hall for the feasts

The façade used as a puppet theatre

Limestone, the colour of harmony

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

Wonderful quick decorations

Feasting in Palazzolo

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

The Baroque town by the sea

Some masterpieces

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

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

From International Gothic to present day

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

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

The colours of the cathedral

A half-Baroque church

A new site for a new church

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

New roads for Catania

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

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

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

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

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

A museum to save a tradition

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

The disastrous earthquake

The two churches

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

Two illustrious patron saints

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom