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.

Feast days

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

Connections with other UNESCO sites

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

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

The internal colours

The two churches

A triumph of colour

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

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

Searching for colour

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

St. Sebastian, so much work!

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

A feast only for Scicli

The Burgos crucifix

A hall for the feasts

A prominent church

Discovering the mother church

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

Limestone, the colour of harmony

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

Some prestigious works

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

The chocolate of Modica

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

The church of Carmine

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

An eagle-shaped city

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

Two illustrious patron saints

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

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

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

A Nobel Prize in Modica

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

A square as the heart of the city

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

The interior and its masterpieces

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

Some masterpieces

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

A miniature city

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

Feasting in Palazzolo

The disastrous earthquake

One city, three sites

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

The façade used as a puppet theatre

The senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation

Modica, a city with ancient origins

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

Many owners, one palace

Wonderful quick decorations

The Maiolica of the staircase

The wall comes to life

A half-Baroque church

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

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

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

A small room with a golden entrance

A new site for a new city

Prominent façade

New roads for Catania

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

A colourful floor

The theatre of taste

Norman apses

One city, two sites

A new site for a new church

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

A talking palace

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

A city in colour

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

A long reconstruction

The Staircase of Angels

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

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

Between white and black

A symbol for the town

A museum to save a tradition

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

The city of museums

The Baroque town by the sea

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

From International Gothic to present day

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

A majestic and luminous church

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

The colours of the cathedral

The character of Badia Sant’Agata