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 new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

A majestic and luminous church

Prominent façade

A city in colour

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

The chocolate of Modica

The Burgos crucifix

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

A long reconstruction

The disastrous earthquake

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

St. Sebastian, so much work!

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

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

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

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

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

Between white and black

Some masterpieces

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

The city of museums

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

The colours of the cathedral

A half-Baroque church

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

From International Gothic to present day

A new site for a new church

A triumph of colour

A small room with a golden entrance

The façade used as a puppet theatre

Searching for colour

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

One city, three sites

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

Norman apses

The internal colours

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

A symbol for the town

The Baroque town by the sea

The theatre of taste

A square as the heart of the city

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

One city, two sites

The church of Carmine

The senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

The wall comes to life

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

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

A museum to save a tradition

Feast days

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

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

The Maiolica of the staircase

The Staircase of Angels

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

A miniature city

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

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

New roads for Catania

The interior and its masterpieces

Feasting in Palazzolo

A colourful floor

The two churches

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

Many owners, one palace

Two illustrious patron saints

A hall for the feasts

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

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

A talking palace

Limestone, the colour of harmony

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

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

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

A new site for a new city

Wonderful quick decorations

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

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

A prominent church

Connections with other UNESCO sites

Some prestigious works

Discovering the mother church

A feast only for Scicli

Modica, a city with ancient origins

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

An eagle-shaped city

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

A Nobel Prize in Modica

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

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public