Militello in Val di Catania

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

The town of Militello in Val di Catania, once called Militello in Val di Noto, is one of the centres rebuilt on a new site following the great earthquake of 1693.
Located in the northern part of the Hyblaean Mountains, it was rebuilt in a grid layout further upstream but still nearby the former site.foto militello droneThe name Militellus, or Militum Tellus, land of soldiers, is said to be of Roman origin like the town, though no proof of this has yet been found. Another fascinating theory links the name’s origin to the honey-coloured local stone, from which “Mellis Tellus”, or land of honey, would derive.
The first settlement is thought to date back to the Byzantine era near the valley of the river Lèmbasi, south of the current town. This is shown by the transformation of the necropolises into homes and places of Christian worship.
Militello was also a fortified centre and remained a fiefdom until the 18th century, following the rule of the Barresi and Branciforte lords. The town reached maximum expansion in the 17th century, before the great earthquake of 1693. In fact, the enlightened Prince Francesco Branciforte designed a new road layout and came up with a possible way to expand the town without completely changing site.
The two main churches, Santa Maria della Stella (St. Mary of the Star) and San Nicolò (St. Nicholas), were rebuilt in the upper part of the town in late Baroque style, following the destruction of the earthquake.

A square as the heart of the city

The wall comes to life

Norman apses

A small room with a golden entrance

Two illustrious patron saints

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

The church of Carmine

Feasting in Palazzolo

An eagle-shaped city

The disastrous earthquake

A museum to save a tradition

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

The theatre of taste

Wonderful quick decorations

Discovering the mother church

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

A long reconstruction

The façade used as a puppet theatre

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

One city, three sites

A Nobel Prize in Modica

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

Modica, a city with ancient origins

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

Feast days

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

A prominent church

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

The internal colours

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

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

Between white and black

The Baroque town by the sea

The senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation

The chocolate of Modica

A half-Baroque church

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

The colours of the cathedral

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

New roads for Catania

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

Limestone, the colour of harmony

A miniature city

A city in colour

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

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

Prominent façade

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

The Staircase of Angels

A new site for a new city

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

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

A triumph of colour

Some masterpieces

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

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

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

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

A majestic and luminous church

From International Gothic to present day

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

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

St. Sebastian, so much work!

The two churches

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

The Maiolica of the staircase

Some prestigious works

A new site for a new church

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

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

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

The Burgos crucifix

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

A colourful floor

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

A hall for the feasts

A talking palace

Many owners, one palace

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

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

A feast only for Scicli

One city, two sites

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

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

The interior and its masterpieces

Connections with other UNESCO sites

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

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

Searching for colour

The city of museums

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

A symbol for the town

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara