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.

The interior and its masterpieces

The façade used as a puppet theatre

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

A city in colour

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

A triumph of colour

The internal colours

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 Church of the Annunciation

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

New roads for Catania

A half-Baroque church

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

Limestone, the colour of harmony

A miniature city

The colours of the cathedral

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

The Baroque town by the sea

The chocolate of Modica

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

The city of museums

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

A colourful floor

St. Sebastian, so much work!

A symbol for the town

Connections with other UNESCO sites

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

The two churches

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

A prominent church

A feast only for Scicli

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

Between white and black

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

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

Norman apses

The theatre of taste

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

The disastrous earthquake

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

An eagle-shaped city

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

The Maiolica of the staircase

Wonderful quick decorations

Modica, a city with ancient origins

Prominent façade

A square as the heart of the city

A new site for a new city

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

Discovering the mother church

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

Some prestigious works

A small room with a golden entrance

One city, two sites

The wall comes to life

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

The Burgos crucifix

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

A hall for the feasts

A new site for a new church

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

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

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

Feasting in Palazzolo

A museum to save a tradition

Many owners, one palace

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

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

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

A majestic and luminous church

A Nobel Prize in Modica

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

The Staircase of Angels

Searching for colour

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

Feast days

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

Two illustrious patron saints

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

One city, three sites

Some masterpieces

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

From International Gothic to present day

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

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

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

A talking palace

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

The church of Carmine

A long reconstruction

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph