Militello in Val di Catania

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

During the feudal dominion of the Barresi-Branciforte family, the town of Militello in Val di Catania underwent remarkable restoration and reorganisation.
The enlightened prince Francesco Branciforte married Joanna of Austria, granddaughter of Charles V and cousin of the King of Spain, then launched an urbanisation plan to redesign the small town and adapt it to new cultural and political needs. The town’s transformations included one that involved the fortified castle, which was turned into a palace and equipped in 1612 with a well-stocked library , printing house and a sort of chemical laboratory. foto castello barresi branciforte
A public fountain was later built in the castle’s courtyard.
The square of the mother church was updated in 1617 alongside the two main streets in the centre of Militello, which were widened and straightened.
Connecting roads were also built outside the former perimeter walls, which encouraged the creation of new districts.
The powerful family also promoted patronage and funded the reconstruction of the bell tower of the Chiesa Madre di San Nicolò (Mother Church of St. Nicholas) and the extension of the Church of Santa Maria (St. Mary), which became the Barresi family’s burial place in the 16th century.

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

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

A new site for a new city

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

Limestone, the colour of harmony

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

The internal colours

Prominent façade

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

A museum to save a tradition

The interior and its masterpieces

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

A Nobel Prize in Modica

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

The Staircase of Angels

A symbol for the town

Some prestigious works

A feast only for Scicli

A colourful floor

New roads for Catania

Discovering the mother church

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

Some masterpieces

A talking palace

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

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

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

A small room with a golden entrance

An eagle-shaped city

A square as the heart of the city

Connections with other UNESCO sites

The theatre of taste

St. Sebastian, so much work!

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

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

A miniature city

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

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

Between white and black

Many owners, one palace

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

Two illustrious patron saints

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

A majestic and luminous church

The senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

The wall comes to life

Feast days

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

Wonderful quick decorations

Searching for colour

From International Gothic to present day

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

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

A long reconstruction

A half-Baroque church

Feasting in Palazzolo

The Maiolica of the staircase

Modica, a city with ancient origins

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

Norman apses

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

The Burgos crucifix

The colours of the cathedral

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

The city of museums

The façade used as a puppet theatre

The Baroque town by the sea

A prominent church

One city, two sites

A city in colour

One city, three sites

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

The two churches

The church of Carmine

A new site for a new church

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

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

The chocolate of Modica

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

A hall for the feasts

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

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

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

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

The disastrous earthquake

A triumph of colour