Late Baroque Towns of the Val di Noto

Vestiges range from primitive utensils made of bone, metal and, in particular, ceramic of the most ancient sites (Sant’Ippolito at Caltagirone, Trefontane at Paternò and Torricella at Ramacca) to the late 8^th century BC, when the Greeks began colonizing Sicily. According to Athenian historian Thucydides, Catania was founded in 729 BC, while its subjugation to the Romans was carried out at first through administrative control forms (the payment of tithe, a tax levied on farmers) and, later on (21 BC), by officially recognizing the town as a Roman colony. In that period, wealthy patricians used to live in the town in luxurious houses and all architectural and decoration vestiges prove that it was a period of great welfare. The Byzantines dominated Catania starting from 535 AD until the arrival of the Arabs (875), followed by the Normans in 1060. When the Norman dynasty of the Altavillas ended, the Kingdom of Sicily (established in 1130) passed under the rule of the Swabians up to the last Swabian king, Manfredi, followed by the Angevin period, the Aragonese period and the Spanish period.

During the rule of Charles II of Hapsburg, King of Spain, part of Sicily was razed by a catastrophic earthquake that affected the Ibleo-Maltese fault: the medieval village of Occhiolà was completely destroyed and never rebuilt; in Militello, only part of the church of S. Maria la Vetere survived; in Caltagirone, only the bridge of Saint Francis and few houses remained; Noto was completely destroyed and rebuilt in another place; almost all the houses in Palazzolo Acreide, Modica and Scicli fell down and Catania was declared destroyed. The seism of 11 January 1693 had a magnitude of 7.4 on the Richter scale and was one of the most devastating earthquakes in Italian modern history. It was preceded by two less intense earth tremors and followed by about a thousand tremors. The number of casualties estimated by the Spanish viceroy was approximately 54,000, more than 60% of the Catania population died, with 45 centres affected; the seism spread up to the Tunisian coast. Significant environmental phenomena occurred in the affected area, with changes in the hydrogeological balance: landslides, disappearance of stretches of water, opening of cracks in the ground, with discharge of sulphur water and sand in some cases, some sources changed their flow and course, while others disappeared. A jurist from Occhiolà wrote a report on that difficult and sad moment for the inhabitants of the affected areas: “Such a fierce earthquake occurred in the space of a miserere; those who survived the rocks and falls, half-dead and sad, with the appearance of statues, discouraged, cannot even stand. They opened their eyes to the light and, having seen that nothing survived, they cried, full of fear and dread”. (Mario Centorbi, Ragguaglio Lacrimevole). The classical and Spanish cultures that grew in Sicily were an important reference in such a desolate landscape ready to recover following 1693. In a climate of collective action, reconstruction was inspired by precise spatial concepts based on both earthquake-proof safety and aesthetic value.

In 1693, Sicily was still officially under the Spanish rule but was actually controlled by autochthonous aristocrats. The reconstruction plan was initiated by the Duke of Camastra in collaboration with military engineer Carlos de Grunembergh: at that time, the viceroy of Spain used to spend six months in Palermo and six months in Catania and, therefore, there was a court in both towns where members of the aristocracy lived. The plan adopted for Palermo and Catania was applied also to the renewal of secondary towns, up to countryside residences, for example with new façades in ancient castles. The eight towns of the Val di Noto, sharing the same origin as sprung up around a castle or a monastery, were differently affected by the earthquake and had different though homogeneous reconstructions, within a shared collective civil undertaking. In general, the reconstruction opted for straight and broad roads accompanied by broad squares and fine decorations, with typically baroque superabundant and spectacular elements and an emphasis on colour.  The rebuilt towns and areas appeared as ideal scenarios for large processions and triumphal parades. Many architects who studied in Rome took part in the works, combining cultured architecture and local handicraft tradition and realizing sophisticated works with precise features, which became and are the typical characteristics of Sicilian Baroque. The rich and fine façades in Caltagirone, the defensive walls in Militello, accurately rebuilt as they were before the earthquake, the geometric and unitary urban landscape in Catania entirely rebuilt over its ruins, Modica with its imposing monuments and two city centres (one of which moved to another place after the earthquake), the town planning and the architectural project of the “ideal” city of Noto rebuilt on the new site of the hill of “Meti” combining into a wonderful and spectacular baroque effect, the new built-up area (a sort of “new town”) built in Palazzolo Acreide after 1693, Ragusa with its baroque palaces and churches and its two city centres, one of which renewed after the earthquake and, finally, the spectacular Palazzo Beneventano with its wonderful decorations in Scicli: all these elements characterize Sicilian Late Baroque in the Val di Noto, a set of works that gloriously and enthusiastically dealt with reconstruction and today represent the great artistic, aesthetic and architectural heritage of that period.

The Piazza del Duomo in Catania took shape in the Norman period, becoming the city centre moved with respect to the Greek acropolis that stood further west and assuming the name of “platea magna“.  After the development of fine aristocrat and religious palaces and buildings in the Aragonese period, the square was completely razed in 1693 and rebuilt one year later. Based on the ideas of the man who led and organized the reconstruction, the Duke of Camastra, it fully assumed the Baroque characteristics though with great freedom. The baroque elements of the town include: the Cathedral by Palazzotto and Giovanni Battista Vaccarini (1702-1768), a talented Sicilian abbot and architect; the main road of Via dei Crociferi;  Palazzo Municipale or Palazzo degli Elefanti (1732); the Church of San Benedetto, with a picturesque limestone façade with imposing  decorations; the Abbey of Sant’Agata (1735) by Giovanni Battista Vaccarini (1702-1768) with an elliptical plan and fine decorations characterized by alternating concave and convex modules that make it an exceptional example of movement architecture; the Collegiata (“Royal Chapel” since 1396, dedicated to the Madonna dell’Elemosina) that wonderfully represents Italian classicism inspired by Roman Baroque; the Monastery of the Benedictines or Monastery of San Nicolò l’Arena, which is considered the second largest complex of its kind in Europe. In Militello, the mother church of San Nicolò, rebuilt after the earthquake, keeps the imposing high altar of the previous church; the Church of Santa Maria della Stella in the square with the same name was built between 1722 and 1741 and features a fine, rich and harmoniously decorated façade with spectacular cornices and capitals. The church hosts also the Marian Shrine Treasure (Tesoro di Santa Maria della Stella) consisting of a rich collection of votive jewels. Caltagirone was rebuilt by the most important Sicilian architects: Rosario Gagliardi, Giuseppe Venanzio Marvuglia, Francesco Battaglia and Natale Bonaiuto. The Church of San Francesco d’Assisi, attached to the monastery and dating back to the 13^th century, was rebuilt after the earthquake and keeps a chapel with a cross vault from the original building.  The Church of Santa Chiara, built between 1743 and 1748 by Rosario Gagliardi, has an octagonal plan, a curved elevation and a rich majolica-tiled floor.  The Church of San Salvatore, with an octagonal plan, hosts the Madonna by Antonello Gagini (a local Renaissance sculptor); opposite San Salvatore, today the Church of San Domenico is an auditorium. The Church of Santa Maria del Monte is on the higher part of the town. Former mother church, it is believed to have been built in the Norman period before being rebuilt in 1542 for the first time and later after the earthquake. The works were carried out after 1693 based on a design by Francesco Battaglia. Dedicated to the town patron saint, the Church of San Giacomo was originally built in 1090 at the wishes of Count Ruggero and rebuilt after the earthquake: fine stone and bronze portals can be admired inside. Besides, there are monuments of civil value that represent the artistry of local artists, craftsmen and designers: the Corte Capitanale, the Museo Civico, the Monte delle Prestanze and the Bridge of San Francesco. In Palazzolo Acreide, the Church of San Sebastiano, whose restoration ended around 1782 with the imposing façade, was completed after the earthquake by architect Mario Diamante from Syracuse. The Church of San Paolo was rebuilt thanks to alms and the wonderful baroque façade (whose author is unknown) was completed in the 18^th century. Ragusa, known as Ibla in ancient times, stands on the top of a hill overlooking three deep valleys. It consists of two city centres too, the first one rebuilt over the ancient medieval built-up area and the other, the current high city, rebuilt after 1693. It features ten wonderful churches and seven not less exceptional palaces, all of them in the baroque style. The Church of San Giorgio in upper Modica was declared mother church, as the Church of San Pietro in lower Modica. A side chapel dedicated to the Virgin in San Pietro survived the earthquake of 1693. San Giorgio, a result of the 17^th-18^th reconstruction, features all the characteristics necessary to be considered an excellent example of Sicilian Baroque. Criticism has identified a link between the Church of San Giorgio in Modica and the Mother Church in Dresden and German architecture. In the Arab period (9^th – 11^th centuries AD), Noto was a “capovallo”, i.e. an administrative centre, from which Vallo or Val di Noto derives; a Vallo – in Arabic waal or wali – was an administrative district since the Arabs divided Sicily into three districts: the Val di Noto in southern Sicily, the Val Demone including the north-eastern part of the island and the Val di Mazara corresponding to the central-western areas. In 1091, Noto was lost by the Arabs and conquered by the Norman Ruggero d’Altavilla; it was the last town to fall into Norman hands: after decades of war, the island became fully Norman. Noto is known as the “stone garden” due to the extraordinary concentration of baroque decorations that characterize its buildings with innumerable pink stone scrolls, spiral columns and curls. The Noto Cathedral or Mother Church of San Nicolò is a real gem of Sicilian Baroque for its classicizing façade standing on a wide and spectacular flight of steps. Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata expresses the highest essence of the baroque spirit with its imaginative series of figures that decorate the balconies, including winged horses, hippogriffs, sirens, sphinxes, masks and putti. The Palazzo Beneventano in Scicli is a wonderful example of Sicilian Baroque, the Church of San Michele Arcangelo is a typical expression of the 18^th century with its trapezoidal structure. The UNESCO Site includes also the Church of San Giovanni Evangelista (with an elliptical plan and 19^th century internal decorations) and the Church of Santa Teresa, an important example of late Baroque ecclesiastic architecture.

The Church of San Giorgio is considered the most imposing and significant building not only in the town of Modica but also in south-eastern Sicily. According to legend, the church was originally built by Norman Captain Ruggero d’Altavilla (12^th century), whose armour is still kept and displayed inside the church above the main entrance. The religious building is of significant interest for both its beauty and position in the urban plan: indeed, it is in the city centre surrounded by winding roads and stairs as well as wide spaces on irregular levels. After a first radical intervention in 1643, the earthquake of 1693 made it necessary to rebuild several damaged elements. The Church of San Giorgio hosts several important paintings, but its most interesting and famous element is probably the façade. According to experts, reconstruction works started around 1761 and are unanimously attributed to Rosario Gagliardi, though the submission of competing projects started in 1716 and architect Paolo Labisi played an important role. The façade is decorated in a very rich and fine style and overlooks the opposite square that in the 17^th century was probably occupied by gardens and terracing. Studies on Baroque highlight an extraordinarily interesting link between what happened in south-eastern Sicily and in Germany, Bavaria and Austria along the same stylistic and architectural line: works that are evidence of a shared taste for superabundance of winding and curved lines and rich and polycentric motifs based on theatricality, in full contrast with the rationalism of the Enlightenment that inspired the Neoclassical style.

“The reconstruction of built-up areas took up the central government and local governments for many years. The analysis of this long and complex process shows that interventions were carried out in different ways that can be classified into three typical scenarios: towns rebuilt in a different place; towns rebuilt in the old place with a different layout and towns rebuilt with the original layout. There were few place changes because they required the population consent and the approval by the viceroy. This solution was adopted for Noto, Avola, Occhiolà (currently Grammichele), Giarratana, Sortino, Biscari (Acate), Monterosso, Fenicia Moncata (Belpasso); as well as for the doubling of Ragusa with the creation of a new built-up area. Besides the real changes of place, there were also some “shifting” cases, i.e. built-up areas that abandoned the peaks or slopes and were rebuilt on adjacent plateaus or valleys, such as Scicli, Buscemi and Ferla. The other built-up areas were rebuilt in the same place. Most towns, such as Syracuse or Caltagirone, were rebuilt based on the original plan. […] In other cases, e.g. Catania, a new urban plan was developed based on the ruins of the old structures and the new needs”.

Enzo Boschi, Emanuela Guidoboni, Catania terremoti e lave. Dal mondo antico alla fine del Novecento, Istituto Nazionale di Geofisica e Vulcanologia – SGA Storia Geofisica Ambiente, Compositori, 2001, Bologna, p. 126

The flight of steps of Santa Maria del Monte was built in 1606 based on architect Giovanni Giacalone’s design and connects, as a sort of backbone, the “upper” town, the symbolic seat of religious power, to the “lower” town, the seat of civil power. The “scalazza” extends over an altimetric jump of 50 m and offers a spectacular descent from the church square. It has been modified over the years and in 1954 the step risers were covered with polychromatic majolica tiles and black lava stone with drawings and styles reminiscent of the Siculian, Arab, Norman and Spanish origins. On 24 and 25 July, on the occasion of the celebrations for San Giacomo, the stairs are decorated with coloured paper cylinders, the so-called coppi, which contain thousands of candles for a wonderful and spectacular lighting effect.

The lava stone elephant is in the centre of Piazza del Duomo and is considered the symbol of the town. The history of this monument is curious and full of extraordinary events half wrapped in legend. It is known that architect Giovanni Battista Vaccarini found the lava stone statue in the Palace and put it, together with other antiques, at the centre of the project for a monumental fountain inspired to Bernini’s Minerva in Rome. Before it, the elephant statue was originally a pagan symbol. Still known as “Liotru” or “Diotru”, the elephant was the symbol of Eliodorus, a semi-legendary figure traditionally remembered for his magical powers, who in the late 8^th century was one of the last representatives of pagan culture about to disappear. The semi-magical character of Eliodorus, who was said to ride the elephant at night, clashed with a Christian bishop (Leo the Thaumaturge) and Eliodorus was condemned to death. Eliodorus’ presumed mount was forgotten for a long time until the building of the Liodoro or Liòduro portal and, finally, the discovery and reuse of the statue by Vaccarini.

Giuseppe Lanza, Duke of Camastra (Palermo, 1630 ca. – 1708) was a brave and  strenuous defender of Sicily against French pressures. Captain of Justice in Palermo in 1672, he was promoted to sergeant major and magistrate of Palermo in 1679. When the earthquake hit south-eastern Sicily on 11 January 1693 destroying Catania and many villages, he was appointed by Spanish viceroy Francisco Pachedo, Duke of Uzenda, Vicar General for the Val di Noto and Val Demone with full powers. He demonstrated excellent organizational skills by planning rational interventions aimed at recovering the affected areas, from rescue operations to the management of the clearance of debris and bodies (a significant risk factor for public health), from victualling to the implementation of special economic measures aimed at promoting the economy of the affected areas. He worked with far-sightedness on the reconstruction plan, managing works for temporary huts and cooperating with the two special committees created by the Spanish viceroy, a civil one for developing reconstruction projects for royal and baronial towns, and a religious one, aimed at sacred buildings such as churches and monasteries.

Rosario Gagliardi (Syracuse, 1698 – Noto, 1762)

He was an important architect of Sicilian Baroque. He was the most important famous figure involved in the reconstruction of the Val di Noto after the earthquake of 1693, a project that involved the whole community under the supervision of political figures, craftsmen, architects and benefactors. Inspired by both Roman and Austrian Baroque, he worked with artistry in Noto, Modica and Ragusa.

Giovanni Battista Vaccarini (Palermo, 1702 – Milazzo, 1769)

After his studies in Rome, moved to Catania in 1730 to direct works and, in particular, deal with the insertion of buildings into the urban context. His works include the Cathedral façade, the Elephant Fountain, the Siculorum Gymnasium (the University Courtyard), the religious masterpiece of the Abbey of Sant’Agata and the Church of San Giuliano. His civil works include Palazzo Valle, the Courtyard of the Collegio Cutelli and several aristocratic houses. Vaccarini’s distinctive characteristic, and main characteristic of all the late Baroque towns in south-eastern Sicily, was a successful combination of classical style and local tradition.

«Tutti dovettero avere una grande superbia, un grande orgoglio, un alto senso si sé, di sé come individui e di sé come comunità, se subito dopo il terremoto vollero e seppero ricostruire miracolosamente quelle città, con quelle topografie, con quelle architetture barocche: scenografiche, ardite, abbaglianti concretizzazioni di sogni, realizzazioni di fantastiche utopie. Sembrano nei loro incredibili movimenti, nelle loro aeree, apparenti fragilità, una suprema provocazione, una sfida ad ogni futuro sommovimento della terra, ad ogni ulteriore terremoto; e sembrano insieme, le facciate di quelle chiese, di quei conventi, di quei palazzi pubblici e privati, nei loro movimenti, nel loro ondeggiare e traballare “a guisa di mare”, nel loro gonfiarsi e vibrare come vele al vento, la rappresentazione, la pietrificazione, l’immagine, apotropaica o scaramantica, del terremoto stesso: la distruzione volta in costruzione, la paura in coraggio, l’oscuro in luce, l’orrore in bellezza, l’irrazionale in fantasia creatrice, l’anarchia incontrollabile della natura nella leibniziana, illuministica anarchia creatrice; il caos in logos, infine. Che è sempre il cammino della civiltà e della storia».

Vincenzo Consolo, Anarchia equilibrata in V. Consolo, G. Leone, Il Barocco in Sicilia. La rinascita del Val di Noto, Bompiani, 1991

 

The Piedmontese Site allows to compare the Savoy Baroque canons of talented Filippo Juvarra and Benedetto Alfieri with those of Sicilian Late Baroque. Both were characterized by the illusionistic representation of space, theatricality, expressiveness by light and shadow alternation, dynamism, spectacularization of nature and triumphalism of shapes.

Naples is strongly characterized by an architectural production based on late baroque canons at the initiative of the city aristocracy and by artists such as Domenico Vaccaro and Ferdinando Sanfelice.

Shared typical elements of the Val di Noto centres can be found in the urban landscape of Syracuse, a town whose historical and cultural mark is deeply syncretic:  the link with the Mediterranean sea, the classical origins, the strong presence of the baroque aesthetics, local materials used for monumental buildings.

V. Consolo, G. Leone, Il barocco in Sicilia : la rinascita del Val di Noto , Milano, Bompiani, 1991

L. Trigilia, Il terremoto del 1693 e la ricostruzione, in Storia della Sicilia, vol. X, Editalia/Poligrafico e Zecca dello Stato, Roma 1999

G. Sgarzini, Il Barocco del Val di Noto, Libreria dello Stato, Istituto poligrafico e Zecca dello Stato, 2005

S. Piazza, Le città tardobarocche del Val di Noto nella World Heritage List dell’UNESCO / saggi introduttivi Mariella Muti et al., Palermo, Edibook Giada, 2008

Catania e provincia. Le città barocche, il mar Ionio l’Etna e le aree naturalistiche, Touring Club Italiano, Azienda Provinciale Turismo Catania, 2000

L. Trigilia, La valle del barocco, città siciliane del Val di Noto “patrimonio dell’umanità”, Sanfilippo Editore, Palermo 2002

L. Trigilia, Un viaggio nella Valle del Barocco, Pantalica, Siracusa e le città del Val di Noto “patrimonio dell’umanità”, Introduzione di M. Fagiolo, Palermo 2007, Domenico Sanfilippo Editore

E. Boschi, E. Guidoboni, Catania terremoti e lave. Dal mondo antico alla fine del Novecento, Istituto Nazionale di Geofisica e Vulcanologia – SGA Storia Geofisica Ambiente, Compositori, 2001, Bologna

whc.unesco.org/en/list/1024/

www.unesco.beniculturali.it/

www.comune.catania.it

www.comune.ragusa.gov.it/turismo/unesco/index.html

www.comune.noto.sr.it

www.comune.modica.gov.it

www.comune.scicli.rg.it

www.comune.palazzoloacreide.gov.it

www.comunemilitello.it/

www.comune.caltagirone.ct.it

Vestiges range from primitive utensils made of bone, metal and, in particular, ceramic of the most ancient sites (Sant’Ippolito at Caltagirone, Trefontane at Paternò and Torricella at Ramacca) to the late 8^th century BC, when the Greeks began colonizing Sicily. The Romans conquered Sicily and made it a Roman province in the 3^rd century BC, starting a very long domination period that ended in the 6^th century AD, when the Byzantines gradually occupied the island. The Byzantines were followed by the Arabs (9^th century AD) and, later, the Normans in 1060. When the Norman dynasty of the Altavillas ended, the Kingdom of Sicily (established in 1130) passed under the rule of the Swabians up to the last Swabian king, Manfredi, followed by the Angevin period, the Aragonese period and the Spanish period.

During the rule of Charles II of Hapsburg, King of Spain, part of Sicily was razed by a catastrophic earthquake. The seism of 11 January 1693 had a magnitude of 7.4 on the Richter scale and was one of the most devastating earthquakes in Italian modern history. The number of casualties estimated by the Spanish viceroy was approximately 54,000 (more than 60% of the Catania population died), with 45 centres affected. Significant environmental phenomena occurred in the affected area, with changes in the hydrogeological balance: landslides, disappearance of stretches of water, opening of cracks in the ground, with discharge of sulphur water and sand in some cases, some sources changed their flow and course, while others disappeared. After the disaster, the destroyed towns were rebuilt in a collective action based on rational programmes and accurate artistic standards.

In 1693, Sicily was still officially under the Spanish rule but was actually controlled by autochthonous aristocrats. The reconstruction plan was initiated by the Duke of Camastra on behalf of the viceroy of Spain. The eight towns of the Val di Noto, sharing the same origin as sprung up around a castle or a monastery, were differently affected by the earthquake and had different though homogeneous reconstructions, within a shared collective civil undertaking. In general, the reconstruction opted for straight and broad roads accompanied by broad squares and fine decorations, with typically baroque superabundant and spectacular elements.  Many architects who studied in Rome took part in the works, combining cultured architecture and local handicraft tradition and materials. The rich and fine façades in Caltagirone, the defensive walls in Militello, accurately rebuilt as they were before the earthquake, the geometric urban landscape in Catania entirely rebuilt over its ruins, Modica with its imposing monuments and two city centres (one of which moved to another place after the earthquake), the town planning and the architectural project of Noto combining into a wonderful and spectacular baroque effect, the new built-up area (a sort of “new town”) built in Palazzolo Acreide after 1693, Ragusa with its baroque palaces and churches and its two city centres, one of which renewed after the earthquake and, finally, the spectacular Palazzo Beneventano with its wonderful decorations in Scicli: all these elements characterize Sicilian Late Baroque in the Val di Noto, a set of works that gloriously and enthusiastically dealt with reconstruction and today represent the great artistic, aesthetic and architectural heritage of that period.

What follows is a brief description of the eight towns:

Catania. The Piazza del Duomo in Catania took shape in the Norman period, becoming the city centre moved with respect to the Greek acropolis that stood further west.  After the development of fine aristocrat and religious palaces and buildings, the square was completely razed in 1693 and rebuilt one year later. It assumed typical Baroque characteristics according to the ideas of the Duke of Calastra and today is considered a gem of that architectural style. In Militello, the Church of Santa Maria della Stella in the square with the same name was built between 1722 and 1741. The church hosts also the Marian Shrine Treasure (Tesoro di Santa Maria della Stella) consisting of a rich collection of votive jewels. Caltagirone was rebuilt by the most important Sicilian architects: Rosario Gagliardi, Giuseppe Venanzio Marvuglia, Francesco Battaglia and Natale Bonaiuto. The Church of Santa Maria del Monte is on the higher part of the town. Former mother church, it is believed to have been built in the Norman period before being rebuilt in 1542 for the first time and later after the earthquake. A famous flight of steps leads to the Piazza del Municipio and connects the old town to the new town. In Palazzolo Acreide, the Church of San Sebastiano, whose restoration ended around 1782 with the imposing façade, was completed after the earthquake by architect Mario Diamante from Syracuse. The Church of San Paolo was rebuilt thanks to alms and the wonderful baroque façade (whose author is unknown) was completed in the 18^th century. Ragusa, known as Ibla in ancient times, stands on the top of a hill overlooking three deep valleys. It consists of two city centres too, the first one rebuilt over the ancient medieval built-up area and the other, the current high city, rebuilt after 1693. It features ten wonderful churches and seven not less exceptional palaces, all of them in the baroque style. The Church of San Giorgio in Modica, a result of the 17^th-18^th reconstruction, features all the characteristics necessary to be considered the symbol of Sicilian Baroque. Criticism has identified a link between the Church of San Giorgio in Modica and the Mother Church in Dresden and German architecture. In the Arab period (9^th – 11^th centuries AD), Noto was a “capovallo”, i.e. an administrative centre, from which Vallo or Val di Noto derives. In 1091, Noto was lost by the Arabs and conquered by the Norman Ruggero d’Altavilla; it was the last town to fall into Norman hands: after decades of war, the island became fully Norman. Noto is known as the “stone garden” due to the extraordinary concentration of baroque decorations that characterize its buildings with innumerable pink stone scrolls, spiral columns and curls. The Noto Cathedral or Mother Church of San Nicolò is a real gem of Sicilian Baroque for its classicizing façade standing on a wide and spectacular flight of steps. Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata expresses the highest essence of the baroque spirit with its imaginative series of figures that decorate the balconies, including winged horses, hippogriffs, sirens, sphinxes, masks and putti. The Palazzo Beneventano in Scicli is a wonderful example of Sicilian Baroque, the Church of San Michele Arcangelo is a typical expression of the 18^th century with its trapezoidal structure.

Noto was a “capovallo”, i.e. an administrative centre, from which Vallo or Val di Noto derives. A Vallo – in Arabic waal or wali – was an administrative district and the Arabs divided Sicily into three districts: the Val di Noto in southern Sicily, the Val Demone including the north-eastern part of the island and the Val di Mazara corresponding to the central-western areas.

The flight of steps of Santa Maria del Monte was built in 1606 based on architect Giovanni Giacalone’s design and connects, as a sort of backbone, the “upper” town, the symbolic seat of religious power, to the “lower” town, the seat of civil power. The “scalazza” extends over an altimetric jump of 50 m and offers a spectacular descent from the church square. It has been modified over the years and in 1954 the risers of the 142 steps were covered with polychromatic majolica tiles and black lava stone with drawings and styles reminiscent of the Siculian, Arab, Norman and Spanish origins. On 24 and 25 July, on the occasion of the celebrations for San Giacomo, the stairs are decorated with coloured paper cylinders, the so-called coppi, which contain thousands of candles for a wonderful and spectacular lighting effect.

The lava stone elephant is in the centre of Piazza del Duomo and is considered the symbol of the town. The history of this monument is curious and full of extraordinary events half wrapped in legend. It is known that architect Giovanni Battista Vaccarini found the lava stone statue in the Palace and put it, together with other antiques, at the centre of the project for a monumental fountain inspired to Bernini’s Minerva in Rome. Before it, the elephant statue was originally a pagan symbol. Still known as “Liotru” or “Diotru”, the elephant was the symbol of Eliodorus, a semi-legendary figure traditionally remembered for his magical powers, who in the late 8^th century was one of the last representatives of pagan culture about to disappear.

Giuseppe Lanza, Duke of Camastra (Palermo, 1630 ca. – 1708) was a brave and strenuous defender of Sicily. When the earthquake hit south-eastern Sicily on 11 January 1693 destroying Catania and many villages, he was appointed by the Spanish viceroy Vicar General for the Val di Noto and Val Demone with full powers. He demonstrated excellent organizational skills by planning rational interventions aimed at recovering the affected areas: from rescue operations to the management of the clearance of debris and bodies, from victualling to the implementation of special economic measures aimed at promoting the economy of the affected areas.

Rosario Gagliardi (Syracuse, 1698 – Noto, 1762)

He was an important architect of Sicilian Baroque. He was the most important famous figure involved in the reconstruction of the Val di Noto after the earthquake of 1693.

Giovanni Battista Vaccarini (Palermo, 1702 – Milazzo, 1769)

after his studies in Rome, moved to Catania in 1730 to direct works and, in particular, deal with the insertion of buildings into the urban context. His works include the Cathedral façade, the Elephant Fountain, the Siculorum Gymnasium (the University Courtyard), the religious masterpiece of the Abbey of Sant’Agata and the Church of San Giuliano. His civil works include Palazzo Valle, the Courtyard of the Collegio Cutelli and several aristocratic houses. Vaccarini’s distinctive characteristic was a successful combination of classical style and local tradition.

The Piedmontese Site allows to compare the Savoy Baroque canons of talented Filippo Juvarra and Benedetto Alfieri with those of Sicilian Late Baroque. Both were characterized by the illusionistic representation of space, theatricality, expressiveness by light and shadow alternation, dynamism, spectacularization of nature and triumphalism of shapes.

Naples is strongly characterized by an architectural production based on late baroque canons at the initiative of the city aristocracy and by artists such as Domenico Vaccaro and Ferdinando Sanfelice.

Shared typical elements of the Val di Noto centres can be found in the urban landscape of Syracuse, a town whose historical and cultural mark is deeply syncretic:  the link with the Mediterranean sea, the classical origins, the strong presence of the baroque aesthetics, local materials used for monumental buildings.

Dynasty, the succession of kings risen to power in a certain kingdom or state. More generally, the term refers to the members of an important family standing out for aristocratic title, wealth or artistic contributions. Synonymous of line, lineage.

Magnitude (from the Latin magnitudo), the order of magnitude used to estimate the quantity of energy generated by an earthquake. Introduced in 1935 by seismologist Charles Francis Richter, who developed a calculation system named after him (Richter Scale).

Viceroy, who has been entrusted with the task of governing on behalf of the king; the viceroy exercises his powers over a territory  that is geographically outside the kingdom but is part of it.

Hydrogeological, as shown by the two roots of the word: [ud], ‘water’ and [ge], ‘earth’, its meaning indicates the relationship between water and earth. The hydrogeological balance of a territory is the result of the mutual influence between stretches of water and waterways and land morphology.

Autochthonous, local, native of the place, indigenous.

Homogeneous, of the same type; when a set of elements has shared and uniform characteristics.

Baroque, a cultural movement that developed after the Renaissance, between the 17^th and 18^th centuries. Its characteristics were expressive richness, imagination, theatricality, vivacity, bizarre and a taste for decorations.

Collective, refers to characteristics shared by several things or persons.