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.

Between white and black

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

A long reconstruction

The Staircase of Angels

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

From International Gothic to present day

St. Sebastian, so much work!

Limestone, the colour of harmony

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

A talking palace

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

Two illustrious patron saints

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

Some prestigious works

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

The theatre of taste

A half-Baroque church

Feast days

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

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

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

A small room with a golden entrance

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

Feasting in Palazzolo

Searching for colour

The interior and its masterpieces

The wall comes to life

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

A prominent church

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

An eagle-shaped city

The façade used as a puppet theatre

A new site for a new city

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

The senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation

A colourful floor

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

The internal colours

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

Norman apses

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

The Burgos crucifix

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

A new site for a new church

The chocolate of Modica

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

Discovering the mother church

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

Many owners, one palace

Prominent façade

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

A symbol for the town

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

A Nobel Prize in Modica

A square as the heart of the city

The colours of the cathedral

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

One city, two sites

A hall for the feasts

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

One city, three sites

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

The Baroque town by the sea

A museum to save a tradition

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

A majestic and luminous church

The church of Carmine

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

Connections with other UNESCO sites

The two churches

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

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

Modica, a city with ancient origins

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

Wonderful quick decorations

The Maiolica of the staircase

The disastrous earthquake

The city of museums

A triumph of colour

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

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

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

A city in colour

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

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

A miniature city

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

Some masterpieces

A feast only for Scicli

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

New roads for Catania

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom