Militello in Val di Catania

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

The town of Militello in Val di Catania, once called Militello in Val di Noto, is one of the centres rebuilt on a new site following the great earthquake of 1693.
Located in the northern part of the Hyblaean Mountains, it was rebuilt in a grid layout further upstream but still nearby the former site.foto militello droneThe name Militellus, or Militum Tellus, land of soldiers, is said to be of Roman origin like the town, though no proof of this has yet been found. Another fascinating theory links the name’s origin to the honey-coloured local stone, from which “Mellis Tellus”, or land of honey, would derive.
The first settlement is thought to date back to the Byzantine era near the valley of the river Lèmbasi, south of the current town. This is shown by the transformation of the necropolises into homes and places of Christian worship.
Militello was also a fortified centre and remained a fiefdom until the 18th century, following the rule of the Barresi and Branciforte lords. The town reached maximum expansion in the 17th century, before the great earthquake of 1693. In fact, the enlightened Prince Francesco Branciforte designed a new road layout and came up with a possible way to expand the town without completely changing site.
The two main churches, Santa Maria della Stella (St. Mary of the Star) and San Nicolò (St. Nicholas), were rebuilt in the upper part of the town in late Baroque style, following the destruction of the earthquake.

A Nobel Prize in Modica

Limestone, the colour of harmony

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

A feast only for Scicli

A square as the heart of the city

A museum to save a tradition

The Burgos crucifix

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

The Staircase of Angels

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

The Baroque town by the sea

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

Two illustrious patron saints

The interior and its masterpieces

A new site for a new church

One city, two sites

Between white and black

A talking palace

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

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

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

The wall comes to life

The theatre of taste

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

Some masterpieces

Norman apses

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

St. Sebastian, so much work!

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

A half-Baroque church

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

The city of museums

A long reconstruction

The internal colours

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

Prominent façade

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

An eagle-shaped city

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

Many owners, one palace

The Maiolica of the staircase

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

A small room with a golden entrance

A symbol for the town

Connections with other UNESCO sites

A majestic and luminous church

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

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

One city, three sites

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

The church of Carmine

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

The colours of the cathedral

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

The disastrous earthquake

Modica, a city with ancient origins

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

Searching for colour

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

A prominent church

A hall for the feasts

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

Wonderful quick decorations

Some prestigious works

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

A colourful floor

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

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

New roads for Catania

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

The façade used as a puppet theatre

Feast days

Feasting in Palazzolo

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

The two churches

Discovering the mother church

The senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

A miniature city

A city in colour

A triumph of colour

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

The chocolate of Modica

A new site for a new city

From International Gothic to present day

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

The Barresi-Branciforte lords