Introduction to Val di Noto

Fantasies of light and colour

Introduction to the route

The proposed educational route retraces the main events of the history of the Val di Noto.
Through the suggested itineraries it intends to lead younger children along their discovery of the eight towns: Catania, Militello in Val di Catania, Caltagirone, Ragusa, Modica, Scicli, Palazzolo Acreide and Noto.
This is a unique chance and opportunity to examine a territory rich in history.
Following the tragic earthquake of 1693, the towns of the Val di Noto were rebuilt with such homogeneity and richness from an artistic and architectural point of view that they were included in the UNESCO World Heritage List.
The post-earthquake reconstruction is examined through many aspects that revolve around the brightness of paint colours, effects and plays on light and shadow that make the heritage a particularly fascinating and completely unusual sight. As well as featuring prominently in the lively character of the communities that inhabit these places, colour accompanies our gaze in a conscious interpretation of architectural shapes and unique landscapes, becoming an inspiration for artisanal production, too.
The children, then, can expect to experience many, powerful emotions.

One city, two sites

The Staircase of Angels

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

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

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

A small room with a golden entrance

One city, three sites

The city of museums

Limestone, the colour of harmony

Prominent façade

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

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

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

A miniature city

Discovering the mother church

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

A feast only for Scicli

A new site for a new church

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

A Nobel Prize in Modica

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

The chocolate of Modica

Some masterpieces

From International Gothic to present day

A city in colour

The disastrous earthquake

Feast days

The Maiolica of the staircase

The two churches

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

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

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

The internal colours

A prominent church

The façade used as a puppet theatre

A symbol for the town

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

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

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

New roads for Catania

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

The church of Carmine

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

Connections with other UNESCO sites

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

The Baroque town by the sea

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

A long reconstruction

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

Feasting in Palazzolo

A colourful floor

The colours of the cathedral

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

A hall for the feasts

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

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

Modica, a city with ancient origins

St. Sebastian, so much work!

Two illustrious patron saints

A new site for a new city

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

Some prestigious works

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

The Burgos crucifix

Many owners, one palace

A talking palace

Searching for colour

Between white and black

An eagle-shaped city

A museum to save a tradition

A triumph of colour

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

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

The interior and its masterpieces

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

A square as the heart of the city

The wall comes to life

The theatre of taste

A majestic and luminous church

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

The senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

Wonderful quick decorations

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

Norman apses

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

A half-Baroque church

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