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.

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

A small room with a golden entrance

From International Gothic to present day

A miniature city

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

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

Discovering the mother church

A museum to save a tradition

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

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

Between white and black

A new site for a new church

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

The colours of the cathedral

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

New roads for Catania

The Maiolica of the staircase

Some prestigious works

Prominent façade

A half-Baroque church

A hall for the feasts

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

A talking palace

A feast only for Scicli

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

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

The interior and its masterpieces

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

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

Connections with other UNESCO sites

The church of Carmine

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

A new site for a new city

A prominent church

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

Wonderful quick decorations

The senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation

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

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

A Nobel Prize in Modica

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

The theatre of taste

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

St. Sebastian, so much work!

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

The internal colours

A square as the heart of the city

The Staircase of Angels

A symbol for the town

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

Norman apses

Feasting in Palazzolo

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

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

The chocolate of Modica

A triumph of colour

The two churches

Modica, a city with ancient origins

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

An eagle-shaped city

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

One city, two sites

Searching for colour

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

One city, three sites

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

The façade used as a puppet theatre

Some masterpieces

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

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

A majestic and luminous church

Limestone, the colour of harmony

The wall comes to life

The city of museums

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

The disastrous earthquake

The Burgos crucifix

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

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

Many owners, one palace

Two illustrious patron saints

A colourful floor

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

Feast days

A city in colour

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

A long reconstruction

The Baroque town by the sea