Introduction to Val di Noto

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

Baroque is a particular cultural and artistic period that began in Rome in the early 17th century before spreading across Europe, in various forms, in the second half of the century.
The negative connotation attributed to Baroque by 18th-century critics, who also coined the term, was aimed at artists who in their architecture and painting had moved away from the principles of harmony, beauty and functionality found in Renaissance culture.
18th-century theorists saw and recognised in Baroque art bizarre, eccentric and fantastic elements in stark contrast with the harmony derived from the rigorous application of geometric, proportional principles used in the Renaissance.
Baroque was considered in a more positive light from the end of the 19th century, a period that recognised the importance in art of a new perception of space, with its symbolic and scenographic force that was widely accepted by both the aristocratic and less affluent classes.

A prominent church

A Nobel Prize in Modica

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

Wonderful quick decorations

The church of Carmine

Some prestigious works

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

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

A colourful floor

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

From International Gothic to present day

The two churches

The senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation

Feasting in Palazzolo

A square as the heart of the city

One city, three sites

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

The city of museums

Two illustrious patron saints

Many owners, one palace

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

A new site for a new city

New roads for Catania

A small room with a golden entrance

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

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

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

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

Feast days

A feast only for Scicli

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

The Baroque town by the sea

The wall comes to life

Searching for colour

Prominent façade

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

A long reconstruction

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

St. Sebastian, so much work!

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

A symbol for the town

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

Modica, a city with ancient origins

Between white and black

A talking palace

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

Limestone, the colour of harmony

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

The internal colours

Norman apses

A city in colour

A hall for the feasts

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

The disastrous earthquake

One city, two sites

The chocolate of Modica

The Staircase of Angels

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

Connections with other UNESCO sites

A triumph of colour

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

An eagle-shaped city

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

The façade used as a puppet theatre

A miniature city

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

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

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

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

The Burgos crucifix

A new site for a new church

The Maiolica of the staircase

A museum to save a tradition

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

A half-Baroque church

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

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

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

A majestic and luminous church

The colours of the cathedral

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

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

The interior and its masterpieces

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

The theatre of taste

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

Discovering the mother church

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

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

Some masterpieces