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.

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

Some prestigious works

A long reconstruction

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

The city of museums

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

A feast only for Scicli

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

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

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

Two illustrious patron saints

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

The Maiolica of the staircase

Many owners, one palace

A Nobel Prize in Modica

Prominent façade

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

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

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

The Burgos crucifix

A half-Baroque church

The interior and its masterpieces

The two churches

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

A hall for the feasts

A museum to save a tradition

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

The senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation

An eagle-shaped city

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

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

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

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

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

One city, three sites

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

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

The chocolate of Modica

A square as the heart of the city

Norman apses

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

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

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

The church of Carmine

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

Wonderful quick decorations

The Baroque town by the sea

A majestic and luminous church

Modica, a city with ancient origins

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

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

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

Searching for colour

St. Sebastian, so much work!

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

Discovering the mother church

The Staircase of Angels

Connections with other UNESCO sites

The wall comes to life

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

A colourful floor

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

Between white and black

A new site for a new church

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

Feasting in Palazzolo

A talking palace

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

The colours of the cathedral

New roads for Catania

The façade used as a puppet theatre

A symbol for the town

A miniature city

One city, two sites

A city in colour

Feast days

Some masterpieces

From International Gothic to present day

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

A triumph of colour

The internal colours

The theatre of taste

A small room with a golden entrance

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

A new site for a new city

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

The disastrous earthquake

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

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

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

A prominent church

Limestone, the colour of harmony

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras