Connections with other UNESCO sites

The route in the Val di Noto is a journey to discover some of the cities in eastern Sicily rebuilt after the tragic earthquake of 1693.
New cities, new churches and new stately palaces were rebuilt.
The cities were designed rationally, and the careful and well-thought-out street layout made up of roads that intersected at right angles was one of the characteristic elements of the reconstruction. This element can be found not only in the cities of the Val di Noto, but in other UNESCO heritage cities, such as Agrigento and Palermo.
The latter has an additional link to Catania: both cities one century later saw the construction of the Quattro Canti, a large and scenic square created from the intersection of two streets at a right angle.
But the link between the Sicilian UNESCO sites does not end here.
The wonderful archaeological site of Piazza Armerina shows a great variety and wealth of materials, a sign that the inhabitant of the Roman villa must have been a prominent figure. This need to express social status through one’s residence was not only typical of the 4th century but also of the 18th century, as seen by Palazzo Tommasi-Rosso and Palazzo Nicolaci.
In this analysis, which aims to link the UNESCO sites together, we must stress the role played by religious orders.
In every city they built splendid cathedrals, churches and monasteries, like those of the Benedictines in Catania and the Aeolian Islands.
These are joined by traditional religious feasts, which hold a special place in the hearts of Sicilians. Long celebrations are dedicated, to name but a few, to St. Agatha in Catania, St. Lucy in Syracuse and St. Rosalia in Palermo.

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

A prominent church

Feasting in Palazzolo

Feast days

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

Limestone, the colour of harmony

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

A small room with a golden entrance

Norman apses

A new site for a new city

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

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

Between white and black

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

The Burgos crucifix

A triumph of colour

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

Wonderful quick decorations

A city in colour

A museum to save a tradition

A feast only for Scicli

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

St. Sebastian, so much work!

Some masterpieces

An eagle-shaped city

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

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

One city, three sites

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

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

Two illustrious patron saints

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

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

Some prestigious works

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

The interior and its masterpieces

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

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

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

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

A symbol for the town

The internal colours

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

Searching for colour

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

The façade used as a puppet theatre

The senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation

A square as the heart of the city

Connections with other UNESCO sites

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

A miniature city

The disastrous earthquake

A new site for a new church

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

One city, two sites

From International Gothic to present day

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

New roads for Catania

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

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

The Maiolica of the staircase

The church of Carmine

A majestic and luminous church

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

A colourful floor

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

Many owners, one palace

The colours of the cathedral

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

The city of museums

The Baroque town by the sea

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

The Staircase of Angels

A half-Baroque church

The chocolate of Modica

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

Modica, a city with ancient origins

The two churches

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

A hall for the feasts

The theatre of taste

A Nobel Prize in Modica

The wall comes to life

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

Prominent façade

A long reconstruction

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

Discovering the mother church

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

A talking palace