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.

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

A talking palace

A hall for the feasts

A half-Baroque church

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

Wonderful quick decorations

A new site for a new city

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

The Maiolica of the staircase

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

A city in colour

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

Norman apses

A small room with a golden entrance

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

Prominent façade

A majestic and luminous church

The city of museums

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

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

A museum to save a tradition

Some masterpieces

The Burgos crucifix

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

A new site for a new church

A prominent church

One city, two sites

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

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

Modica, a city with ancient origins

One city, three sites

Feasting in Palazzolo

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

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

Between white and black

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

New roads for Catania

The wall comes to life

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

The internal colours

A feast only for Scicli

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

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

The interior and its masterpieces

Discovering the mother church

The theatre of taste

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

A long reconstruction

A Nobel Prize in Modica

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

The façade used as a puppet theatre

Connections with other UNESCO sites

Searching for colour

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

St. Sebastian, so much work!

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

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

Limestone, the colour of harmony

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

The colours of the cathedral

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

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

A triumph of colour

Feast days

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

Some prestigious works

A miniature city

The Baroque town by the sea

The chocolate of Modica

The disastrous earthquake

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

A symbol for the town

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

A square as the heart of the city

A colourful floor

The senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation

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

An eagle-shaped city

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

The two churches

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

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

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

From International Gothic to present day

The Staircase of Angels

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

Many owners, one palace

The church of Carmine

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

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

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

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

Two illustrious patron saints