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.

A talking palace

The Staircase of Angels

The church of Carmine

An eagle-shaped city

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

The Maiolica of the staircase

One city, three sites

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

The two churches

The Baroque town by the sea

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

Feasting in Palazzolo

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

Limestone, the colour of harmony

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

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

New roads for Catania

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

Some prestigious works

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

The wall comes to life

The city of museums

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

Feast days

Modica, a city with ancient origins

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

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

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

Wonderful quick decorations

The senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation

A hall for the feasts

Two illustrious patron saints

The façade used as a puppet theatre

A small room with a golden entrance

Between white and black

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

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

Searching for colour

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

Discovering the mother church

Prominent façade

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

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

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

A museum to save a tradition

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

The internal colours

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

The interior and its masterpieces

A prominent church

A Nobel Prize in Modica

A feast only for Scicli

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

A miniature city

A city in colour

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

Many owners, one palace

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

Connections with other UNESCO sites

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

A new site for a new church

A half-Baroque church

The theatre of taste

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

A colourful floor

The colours of the cathedral

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

Norman apses

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

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

A symbol for the town

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

The chocolate of Modica

One city, two sites

Some masterpieces

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

The Burgos crucifix

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

From International Gothic to present day

The disastrous earthquake

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

A square as the heart of the city

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

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

A triumph of colour

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

St. Sebastian, so much work!

A new site for a new city

A long reconstruction

A majestic and luminous church