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.

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

The church of Carmine

From International Gothic to present day

The interior and its masterpieces

Feast days

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

The Burgos crucifix

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

The façade used as a puppet theatre

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

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

Discovering the mother church

A Nobel Prize in Modica

St. Sebastian, so much work!

A triumph of colour

Prominent façade

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

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

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

The Staircase of Angels

Some prestigious works

A miniature city

Feasting in Palazzolo

Limestone, the colour of harmony

A talking palace

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

New roads for Catania

Many owners, one palace

Connections with other UNESCO sites

The wall comes to life

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

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

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

A colourful floor

Searching for colour

The internal colours

The chocolate of Modica

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

A feast only for Scicli

The Maiolica of the staircase

One city, two sites

The Baroque town by the sea

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

The senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation

A prominent church

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

A majestic and luminous church

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

A new site for a new church

Two illustrious patron saints

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

A long reconstruction

The disastrous earthquake

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

A museum to save a tradition

Some masterpieces

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

The colours of the cathedral

The theatre of taste

The city of museums

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

Modica, a city with ancient origins

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

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

Wonderful quick decorations

An eagle-shaped city

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

A city in colour

One city, three sites

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

Norman apses

The two churches

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

A new site for a new city

A square as the heart of the city

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

A hall for the feasts

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

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

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

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

A symbol for the town

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

A half-Baroque church

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

A small room with a golden entrance

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

Between white and black