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 design by Vincenzo Sinatra

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

A hall for the feasts

Modica, a city with ancient origins

The city of museums

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

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

A new site for a new church

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

Searching for colour

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

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

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

Between white and black

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

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

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

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

Norman apses

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

The church of Carmine

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

The Baroque town by the sea

A triumph of colour

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

Prominent façade

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

The wall comes to life

The colours of the cathedral

A symbol for the town

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

Feasting in Palazzolo

A majestic and luminous church

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

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

The senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

The Maiolica of the staircase

The theatre of taste

The Staircase of Angels

The interior and its masterpieces

A prominent church

A museum to save a tradition

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

A colourful floor

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

From International Gothic to present day

The Burgos crucifix

St. Sebastian, so much work!

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

Connections with other UNESCO sites

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

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

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

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

A feast only for Scicli

Limestone, the colour of harmony

The two churches

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

Some prestigious works

A talking palace

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

One city, three sites

A city in colour

Discovering the mother church

A miniature city

A long reconstruction

Some masterpieces

Many owners, one palace

Two illustrious patron saints

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

The disastrous earthquake

A square as the heart of the city

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

Wonderful quick decorations

A half-Baroque church

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

The internal colours

A new site for a new city

New roads for Catania

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

One city, two sites

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

The chocolate of Modica

The façade used as a puppet theatre

An eagle-shaped city

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

A small room with a golden entrance

Feast days

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

A Nobel Prize in Modica

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)