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.

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

A Nobel Prize in Modica

Many owners, one palace

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

A long reconstruction

One city, two sites

The colours of the cathedral

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

Prominent façade

The internal colours

A symbol for the town

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

A hall for the feasts

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

Wonderful quick decorations

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

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

The Staircase of Angels

The Burgos crucifix

Some prestigious works

Modica, a city with ancient origins

Searching for colour

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

Between white and black

The chocolate of Modica

Discovering the mother church

From International Gothic to present day

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

A miniature city

A colourful floor

Feast days

Some masterpieces

A talking palace

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

The church of Carmine

The Baroque town by the sea

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

A new site for a new city

The wall comes to life

A majestic and luminous church

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

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

A triumph of colour

Norman apses

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

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

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

The senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation

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

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

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

New roads for Catania

Feasting in Palazzolo

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

A half-Baroque church

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

The theatre of taste

The interior and its masterpieces

A museum to save a tradition

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

Limestone, the colour of harmony

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

A new site for a new church

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

A city in colour

The façade used as a puppet theatre

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

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

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

The disastrous earthquake

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

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

A feast only for Scicli

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

The Maiolica of the staircase

St. Sebastian, so much work!

Two illustrious patron saints

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

A small room with a golden entrance

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

The city of museums

One city, three sites

Connections with other UNESCO sites

A square as the heart of the city

The two churches

An eagle-shaped city

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

A prominent church

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra