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.

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

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

A new site for a new church

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

A museum to save a tradition

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

The city of museums

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

The senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation

A feast only for Scicli

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

The wall comes to life

Limestone, the colour of harmony

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

The two churches

Connections with other UNESCO sites

A long reconstruction

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

Searching for colour

Some masterpieces

New roads for Catania

A colourful floor

The theatre of taste

Prominent façade

A half-Baroque church

The Burgos crucifix

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

Many owners, one palace

Feast days

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

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

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

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

A symbol for the town

Two illustrious patron saints

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

The church of Carmine

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

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

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

Discovering the mother church

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

A miniature city

The internal colours

One city, three sites

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

A majestic and luminous church

A prominent church

A new site for a new city

A Nobel Prize in Modica

Some prestigious works

From International Gothic to present day

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

The Staircase of Angels

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

One city, two sites

The Maiolica of the staircase

The chocolate of Modica

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

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

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

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

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

A talking palace

A square as the heart of the city

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

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

Wonderful quick decorations

Between white and black

The interior and its masterpieces

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

Modica, a city with ancient origins

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

The Baroque town by the sea

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

A triumph of colour

The façade used as a puppet theatre

A small room with a golden entrance

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

The colours of the cathedral

Norman apses

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

A hall for the feasts

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

The disastrous earthquake

St. Sebastian, so much work!

An eagle-shaped city

Feasting in Palazzolo

A city in colour