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.

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

The Staircase of Angels

A hall for the feasts

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

Searching for colour

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

Some prestigious works

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

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

A prominent church

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

The façade used as a puppet theatre

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

Limestone, the colour of harmony

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

The two churches

The church of Carmine

The Baroque town by the sea

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

The senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation

A city in colour

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

A small room with a golden entrance

A new site for a new church

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

A half-Baroque church

Two illustrious patron saints

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

The interior and its masterpieces

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

Discovering the mother church

The disastrous earthquake

A new site for a new city

Many owners, one palace

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

Some masterpieces

A symbol for the town

One city, two sites

A talking palace

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

The Burgos crucifix

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

A colourful floor

Connections with other UNESCO sites

The wall comes to life

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

A triumph of colour

A square as the heart of the city

St. Sebastian, so much work!

Wonderful quick decorations

Between white and black

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

Feasting in Palazzolo

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

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

A majestic and luminous church

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

The chocolate of Modica

One city, three sites

The Maiolica of the staircase

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

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

A feast only for Scicli

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

The internal colours

Modica, a city with ancient origins

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

A Nobel Prize in Modica

Norman apses

An eagle-shaped city

A museum to save a tradition

The city of museums

Prominent façade

New roads for Catania

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

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

A miniature city

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

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

A long reconstruction

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

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

The theatre of taste

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

The colours of the cathedral

From International Gothic to present day

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

Feast days