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

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

A museum to save a tradition

Discovering the mother church

A half-Baroque church

From International Gothic to present day

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

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

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

The Baroque town by the sea

The façade used as a puppet theatre

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

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

A feast only for Scicli

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

Norman apses

The colours of the cathedral

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

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

A square as the heart of the city

The disastrous earthquake

The senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation

Connections with other UNESCO sites

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

Modica, a city with ancient origins

A small room with a golden entrance

Searching for colour

A prominent church

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

The chocolate of Modica

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

A long reconstruction

The Burgos crucifix

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

One city, two sites

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

The Staircase of Angels

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

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

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

The church of Carmine

The Maiolica of the staircase

A new site for a new church

Limestone, the colour of harmony

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

Many owners, one palace

The internal colours

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

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

Two illustrious patron saints

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

Wonderful quick decorations

A symbol for the town

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

The city of museums

Some masterpieces

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

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

Some prestigious works

A city in colour

A Nobel Prize in Modica

Feasting in Palazzolo

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

The wall comes to life

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

Between white and black

A colourful floor

The two churches

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

A new site for a new city

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

New roads for Catania

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

St. Sebastian, so much work!

The interior and its masterpieces

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

A miniature city

A triumph of colour

A talking palace

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

One city, three sites

The theatre of taste

Prominent façade

An eagle-shaped city

A majestic and luminous church

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

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

A hall for the feasts

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