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.

From International Gothic to present day

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

Discovering the mother church

A new site for a new city

The senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation

Many owners, one palace

A majestic and luminous church

A small room with a golden entrance

Some masterpieces

A city in colour

The chocolate of Modica

One city, two sites

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

The internal colours

Modica, a city with ancient origins

The colours of the cathedral

A museum to save a tradition

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

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

Feasting in Palazzolo

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

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

Between white and black

One city, three sites

A miniature city

Prominent façade

A prominent church

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

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

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

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

The wall comes to life

New roads for Catania

A square as the heart of the city

Two illustrious patron saints

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

A colourful floor

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

An eagle-shaped city

A long reconstruction

The interior and its masterpieces

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

The theatre of taste

A hall for the feasts

A new site for a new church

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

Norman apses

Searching for colour

The city of museums

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

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

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

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

A feast only for Scicli

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

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

Wonderful quick decorations

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

Connections with other UNESCO sites

A talking palace

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

A symbol for the town

The two churches

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

Limestone, the colour of harmony

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

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

Some prestigious works

The Baroque town by the sea

The Staircase of Angels

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

Feast days

A triumph of colour

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

The Maiolica of the staircase

St. Sebastian, so much work!

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

The façade used as a puppet theatre

The church of Carmine

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

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

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

The Burgos crucifix

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

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

A Nobel Prize in Modica

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

A half-Baroque church

The disastrous earthquake

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public