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.

From International Gothic to present day

Between white and black

Some prestigious works

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

New roads for Catania

A colourful floor

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

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

A Nobel Prize in Modica

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

Norman apses

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

The colours of the cathedral

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

The city of museums

Searching for colour

Limestone, the colour of harmony

A symbol for the town

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

A small room with a golden entrance

The theatre of taste

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

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

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

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

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

Many owners, one palace

The church of Carmine

The disastrous earthquake

A museum to save a tradition

A feast only for Scicli

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

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

The chocolate of Modica

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

Two illustrious patron saints

The internal colours

Feast days

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

A talking palace

A long reconstruction

Modica, a city with ancient origins

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

A new site for a new city

Feasting in Palazzolo

A city in colour

Some masterpieces

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

The senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation

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

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

Connections with other UNESCO sites

A new site for a new church

A majestic and luminous church

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

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

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

A miniature city

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

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

A half-Baroque church

One city, three sites

The Staircase of Angels

Wonderful quick decorations

The interior and its masterpieces

The two churches

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

Prominent façade

A hall for the feasts

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

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

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

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

A square as the heart of the city

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

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

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

The façade used as a puppet theatre

A prominent church

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

A triumph of colour

The Baroque town by the sea

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

An eagle-shaped city

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

Discovering the mother church

The Maiolica of the staircase

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

St. Sebastian, so much work!

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

One city, two sites

The wall comes to life

The Burgos crucifix