Introduction to Val di Noto

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

After the tragic earthquake, the Val di Noto rose from its ashes like a phoenix to be reborn stronger and more beautiful than before.
The commitment of the religious orders to educate a modern generation of artists in the cultural and artistic knowledge of Baroque Rome was crucial in overcoming ancient conceptions and initiating a momentous transformation.
Studies undertaken by young clerics in the rich Roman libraries, the interest in Rome, and observation of the typical architecture of the Counter-Reformation gave rise to a synthesis of figurative elements which set Sicilian Baroque in motion.
In Sicily, Roman artistic influences replaced Spanish cultural dependence. By the hand of specialised workers, the new spirit of the era was inaugurated, not only in religious architecture but also in civic buildings, too. Sicilian Baroque combined the technical knowledge of local culture with the great dynamics of Roman Baroque.

One city, three sites

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

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

Between white and black

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

St. Sebastian, so much work!

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

The senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

The theatre of taste

Connections with other UNESCO sites

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

The Baroque town by the sea

Some prestigious works

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

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

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

The chocolate of Modica

The colours of the cathedral

A new site for a new city

An eagle-shaped city

The internal colours

A colourful floor

The Maiolica of the staircase

A new site for a new church

A feast only for Scicli

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

Feasting in Palazzolo

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

The façade used as a puppet theatre

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

Wonderful quick decorations

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

The city of museums

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

The disastrous earthquake

One city, two sites

Two illustrious patron saints

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

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

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

A miniature city

The church of Carmine

The two churches

A talking palace

Some masterpieces

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

A majestic and luminous church

From International Gothic to present day

The wall comes to life

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

Searching for colour

A small room with a golden entrance

Many owners, one palace

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

Norman apses

A half-Baroque church

Limestone, the colour of harmony

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

A prominent church

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

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

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

A city in colour

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

A square as the heart of the city

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

The interior and its masterpieces

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

Prominent façade

Feast days

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

A long reconstruction

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

A triumph of colour

A museum to save a tradition

A Nobel Prize in Modica

New roads for Catania

The Burgos crucifix

Discovering the mother church

A symbol for the town

A hall for the feasts

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

Modica, a city with ancient origins

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

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

The Staircase of Angels