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.

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

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

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

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

The city of museums

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

A colourful floor

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

A square as the heart of the city

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

Some masterpieces

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

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

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

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

Feast days

A feast only for Scicli

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

The colours of the cathedral

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

A museum to save a tradition

Some prestigious works

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

A city in colour

A talking palace

A prominent church

The Staircase of Angels

Wonderful quick decorations

The wall comes to life

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

One city, two sites

A majestic and luminous church

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

Two illustrious patron saints

The church of Carmine

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

An eagle-shaped city

The Maiolica of the staircase

From International Gothic to present day

Between white and black

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

The internal colours

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

A symbol for the town

Connections with other UNESCO sites

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

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

The disastrous earthquake

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

One city, three sites

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

New roads for Catania

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

Limestone, the colour of harmony

The two churches

A triumph of colour

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

A half-Baroque church

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

The Baroque town by the sea

The chocolate of Modica

The Burgos crucifix

Prominent façade

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

A new site for a new church

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

A hall for the feasts

Norman apses

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

The senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

Many owners, one palace

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

The theatre of taste

Discovering the mother church

A small room with a golden entrance

The façade used as a puppet theatre

A miniature city

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

A long reconstruction

Searching for colour

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

A Nobel Prize in Modica

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

Feasting in Palazzolo

St. Sebastian, so much work!

The interior and its masterpieces

Modica, a city with ancient origins

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

A new site for a new city

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

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

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra