Noto and Late Baroque of South-Eastern Sicily

NOTO AND LATE BAROQUE OF SOUTH-EASTERN SICILY

Proposal for inscription WORLD HERITAGE LIST UNESCO Noto and late Baroque of South-Eastern Sicily

proposal for inscription WORLD HERITAGE LIST-UNESCO

Editorial staff International Baroque Research Institute (CISB)

With the assistance of Municipal Administrators of: CALTAGIRONE CATANIA MILITELLO IN VAL DI CATANIA MODICA NOTO PALAZZOLO ACREIDE RAGUSA SCICLI LOCAL OFFICIES OF BB.CC.AA. REGION ASSESSOSHIP

Coordination Siracusa BB.CC.AA. Superintendence

Enclosure cards Caltagirone by the Municipal Technical office of Caltagirone Catania, Noto, Ragusa, Scicli by CISB Militello in Val di Catania by the Municipal technical office of MilitelloV. C. Modica by the Municipal technical office of Modica Palazzolo Acreide by the Municipal technical office of Palazzolo A.

Cover: Infelicis Regni Siciliae.Tabula in tres Valles Divisa. 1693

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CONTENT

1. Identification of the Property……..……………………….. 5 2. Justificationfor Inscription………...……………………….29 3. Description……………………….……..…………………43 4. Management……………………………………………….73 5. Factors affecting the Site………………..…………………89 6. Monitoring………...... …………………………..…………94 7. Documentation………………...…………………………..95

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Exact location of area

4 Noto and late Baroque of South-Eastern Sicily

1. Identification of the Property a. Country (and Sta- ate Party if different) Italia b. State, Province or Region Region: Sicily Provinces: Catania, Ragusa, Siracusa

c. Name of property Noto and late Baroque of South-Eastern Sicily

d. Exact location on map and indication of geographical coordinates to the nearest second long. 14°42'22" - 15°5'13" lat. 36°47'35" - 37°30'8"

e. Maps and / or plans showing boundary of area proposed for inscription and of any buffer zone 1) Sicily - Exact location of Urban Areas proposed for inscription in the World Heritage List. 2) Caltagirone - Exact location of Urban Area - Scale 1:50.000 3) Caltagirone - Boundary of the Urban area proposed for inscription in the World Heritage List. - Scale 1:5000. 4) Catania - Exact location of Urban Area - Scale 1:100.000. 5) Catania - Boundary of the Urban area proposed for inscription in the World Heritage List. - Scale 1:10.000. 6) Militello in Val di Catania - Exact location of Urban Area - Scale 1:50.000. 7) Militello in Val di Catania - Boundary of the Urban area proposed for inscription in the World Heritage List. - Scale 1:10.000. 8) Modica - Exact location of Urban Area - Scale 1:100.000. 9) Modica - Boundary of the Urban area proposed for inscription in the World Heritage List. - Scale 1:5.000.

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10) Noto - Exact location of Urban Area - Scale 1:100.000. 11) Noto- Boundary of the Urban area proposed for inscription in the World Heritage List. - Scale 1:5.000. 12) Palazzolo Acreide - Exact location of Urban Area - Scale 1:50.000. 13) Palazzolo Acreide - Boundary of the Urban area proposed for inscription in the World Heritage List. - Scale 1:5.000. 14) Ragusa - Exact location of Urban Area - Scale 1:100.000. 15) Ragusa - Boundary of the Urban area proposed for inscription in the World Heritage List. - Scale 1:10.000. 16) Scicli - Exact location of Urban Area - Scale 1:250.000. 17) Scicli - Boundary of the Urban area proposed for inscription in the World Heritage List. - Scale 1:2.000. f. Area of site proposed for inscription (ha.) and proposed buffer zone (ha.) if any The site proposed for inscription is on the whole Ha 264.76, in area, subdivided amongst The variouse cities. Cross - reference: 1.f to get the exact measure of the areas of each city.

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Sicily Boundary of Urban Area for inscription in the World Heritage List

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Caltagirone Off-print from town-planning Scala 1:50.000

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Caltagirone Boundary of urban area for inscription in the World Heritage List - Scale 1:5.000

10 Noto and late Baroque of South-Eastern Sicily

Catania Boundary of the Urban Area Scale 1:100.000

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Catania- Boundary of the Urban area for inscription in the World Heritage List - Scale 1:10.000

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Militello in Val diCatania - Boundary of the Urban area - Scala 1:50.000

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Militello in Val di Catania Boundary of the Urban area for inscription in the World Heritage List

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Modica Boundary of the Urban area Scale 1:100.000

15 Noto and late Baroque of South-Eastern Sicily

Modica Boundary of the Urban area for inscription in the World Heritage List

17 Noto and late Baroque of South-Eastern Sicily

Noto Boundary of the Urban area Scale 1:100.000

18 Noto and late Baroque of South-Eastern Sicily

Noto Boundary of the Urban area for inscription in the World Heritage List

20 Noto and late Baroque of South-Eastern Sicily

Palazzolo Acreide

21 Noto and late Baroque of South-Eastern Sicily

Palazzolo Acreide Boundary of the Urban area for inscription in the World Heritage List

23 Noto and late Baroque of South-Eastern Sicily

Ragusa Boundary of the Urban area Scale 1:100.000

24 Noto and late Baroque of South-Eastern Sicily

Ragusa Boundary of the Urban area for inscription in the World Heritage List

26 Noto and late Baroque of South-Eastern Sicily

Scicli Boundary of the Urban area Scale 1:250.000

27 Noto and late Baroque of South-Eastern Sicily

Scicli Boundary of the Urban area for inscription in the World Heritage List

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2.Justification for Inscription a.Statement of significance The territory of south-eastern Sicily, once territority of the ancient province Val di Noto, is a remarkable world inheritance for the great quality and extraordinay homogeneity of the urbanistic inheritance rich in late baroque landmarks. These spread particularly after the 1963 earthquake that seriusly destroyed about 60 cties in that context. The sensible seisnic area, which had its epicentre in the Valley of Noto with a major destroying result, streaches from Calabria to Malta till the northen African coast. Most cities of south-eastern Sicily were rebuilt in the original site. Amongst them: Catania; some, like Noto, in sites different from the original; others: Ragusa and Palazzolo Acreide were subdivided and new urban centres were created next to the ancient ones; others either slided towards near areas partially already urbanized: ex. Scicli and Modica or repaired: Caltagirone , etc. The rebuilding of 'Val di Noto' was a chance to an enormouse artistic, architectonical and anti-seismic renewal of the cities, medieval in their styles till 1693, the date of the eartquake. The earthquake freed so many energies and money in the same time that bold and impressive urbanistic changes were realized. All of them in the south - eastern Sicily are a unicum in the panorama of World baroque with a cluster of rebuilt or repaired cities in the same shared time and models. After the planning culture, sprung in the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries, most architecture and 'modern' town-planning of south-eastern Sicily become the first specific response to seismic disaster. Very many are the creators and makers of the baroque appearance of so many cities rebuilt or refounded: architects, engineers, master masons, and lots of variously skilled craftsman (lapidum incisores, decorators, plaster- ers, etc.), little known or rather anonymous till nowadays; these craftsmen with their variety of specializa- tions contributed in the building renewal as much as the more famous architects,.Outstanding figure is Rosario Gagliardi, master 'of the Valley of Noto and of his valley', perhaps the most original, creative and free of the architects in the Sicilian eighteenth century. His religious erecting yards in the valley of Noto witness the ripening of a complex planning that concerns both boundary system(ex. 'San Domenico' in Noto) and facades. Gagliardi is a renown master of the tower facade in the Sicilian style (it The right: “Sicilia afflicta”. Medal coined in develops in highness and absorbs the bell-tower); this peculiarity draws him memory of the earthquake of to Austrian artists' such as Fisher Von Erlach, LUCAS VON HILDE- 1693.

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30 Noto and late Baroque of South-Eastern Sicily

BRANDT and others working in Germany. The facade model developing in highness, has been extraordinary lucky in the 'Val di Noto, has made undoubtly the holy landscape of the Hibley particular and has advanced like a new sign and new visual realization of the site (ex San Giorgio in Reg. Iblea or San Giorgio in Modica). In the area of Catania the other well- known protagonist is Giovan Battista Vaccarini whose expressive style mirrors a major influence from baroque classicism and the official Roman culture he was bound to since the years of his training and accomplishment at St. Luca's Academy; he created something new after the first baroque directly seen and studied. With his choices he has determined the essence and stylistic homogeneity of the buildings in Catania after 1693 inflating the excitement of baroque scenography in the urban area. His arrangements and facades (in the typical 'giganti' order with its matching different materials: calcareous stone and lavic stone) are planned like 'scenes' facing the street or the square. The great town-planning civilization of after earthquake shows how high architectural solutions are given thanks to the strong incomparable economic interplay of different social groups. Soon after the 9 and 11/01/1693 quakes the viceroy appointed Giuseppe Lanza Duca di Camastra as his Vicar General.This one goes disastrous area and enjoys very clever tecnicians' co-operation such as military engineer Carlos de Grunembergh; he has an enormous power and can manage the emergency with courageous decisions. Enormous State intervention and great organ- izing ability seen to be two conditions that achieve the very fine original solution and give a sound response to the seismic disastrous effect. The new urban realizations of post earthquake are the outcome of a restless and hard history whose protagonists manage to turn that disaster into a 'chance'. In this territorial context the inner cities and the urban areas chosen for the proposal for inscription in the 'World Heritage List' are to be considered highly representative in the enormous rebuilding event.

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URBANAREASANDINNERCITIESPROPOSEDFORINSCRIPTION.

CALTAGIRONE

Caltagirone inner city is a prominent world heritage for its multi-faceted town planning and architectonical 'facies', for its uncommon link between pre 1693 period and after-earthquake one. This turning point features its rich and gorgeous architecture inside a peculiar urban contex, a very wel- come development of the site shape.

The right: Caltagirone. A view of the city.

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MILITELLO VAL DI CATANIA The urban area of Militello is a world heritage for the great amount of heritage architectural and for the marvelous town-planning, very up-dated among the seventeenth century feudal Sicilia cities before 1693 earthquake. Its was completely realized during the late Baroque rebuilding.

CATANIA The urban milieu of Duomo square and Crociferi street in Catania together with the near monumental buildings of 'Badia di Sant'Agata', 'Collegiata', the major building of 'Benedettini' and 'Biscari' palace are distinctive world heritage for the grand and enticing planning and architecture of which they are the distinctive and charming part in the rebuilding city plan after 1693 earthquake. Its unique urban excellence is due to a homogeneous plan were

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long scenographic malls cross and match a series of variously geometrical ly drawn squares downtown (to be continued in card: Catania in general-2a)

MODICA Modica inner city is a significant world heritage for its unique urban structure planned after the peculiar environment: it is made of two inner cities- the former grasped at the steep slopes of southern Hyblean mountains and the latter, rebuilt in the lower part of the valley after 1693 earthquake with imposing picturesque urban monuments which become a strong visual emphasis in the sorrundings: St.George's and St.Peter's.

NOTO The urban milieu of Noto is an excellent world her- Top: itage for the size excellence, W. L. Liecht, The city of homogeneity and signifi- Catania and Mount Aetna. cant unity of urban struc- first half of the eighteenth cen- ture andgrand architecture. tury. On the right: Noto, amongst the cities the city of Noto in Sicily pre- refounded in a site near the 1693 earthquake first half of original left by Inhabitants, the seventeenth century. is the most distinctive and

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At the bottom: prestigious for its unique homogeneity of urban planning and great archi- the fish shape, a drawing of tectonic quality: a symbolic model of after-1693 planning. ancient Ragusa (from an anonymous manuscript of the eighteenth century.

PALAZZOLO Palazzolo inner city proposed for inscription is a prominent world heritage for its rich distinctive architectonical and environment heritage. It is the offspring of the rebuilding urban development that created two distinguished inner cities: the medieval district rebuilt in its original site and turned into the new urban center line, and the seventeenth-eighteenth one in the High way area. This one stret-ched till the original Greek Akrai site, a prominent archaelogic site in ancient Sicily, in the shape of 'corona' (a crown) of after 1693 center line.

RAGUSA The two inner cities of ancient Ibla, rebuilt on its old medieval pattern, and after-1693 rebuilt 'Ragusa superiore (Ragusa today), are a prominent and picturesque world heritage for the great quality and homogeneity of its architectonic and urbanistic heritage and their harmonizing with the picturesque surrounding landscape that makes architecture be in glove with nature.

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On the right: SCICLI Scicli: a panoramic city view The area of Francesco Mormina Penna (ancient 'Corso San Michele') stretched to the near Beneventano palace district, is a prominent world heritage for its elegant scenographic rest place and fore late baroque churches and aristocratic buildings 'ensemble'.

Beneventano palace is an excellent world heritage for the uniqueness of its engraved facades rich in local 'lapicidi'

(a) (i) The inner cities and urban milieus of the cities proposed for inscription are a masterpiece of ingenious Man during late baroque epoch. This period is believed as the one that mostly determines the architecture and urban setting of every site, rebuilt or restored during the seventeenth century after- 1693. (a) (ii) Inner cities and urban milieu of the cities proposed for inscription make clear how great was the after 1693 earthquake. The social classes of that period (Clergy, aristocracy and new urban middle classes) together with the Spanish government, architects and craftsmen co-operate in the rebuilding of seriously damaged urban milieus.

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Its is a paramount event involving almost all the society both in capitals & investment, and planning ability to get a new 'modernity'.

(a) (iii) The inner cities and urban milieus proposed for inscription witness lost cultural traditions: the peculiar planning and 'modernity' of after- 1693 rebuilding epoch when a significative unity of minor and maior arts takes place. The excellent skilfulness of artisan workers so skilled in moulding and carving the local stone (limestone and lavic stone; the latter in the area of Catania), that could realize fanciful, fine figures is also a lost cultural and manual tradition. This culture stands for the peculiar value of the rebuilding period . The great approach architectonic and carving ideals have make architecture and decoration a 'unicum'. (a) (iv) Inner cities and urban milieus proposed for inscription are prominent examples for the clusters of monumental late baroque buildings full of architectonic and decorative values. The strong approach architecture and carving got was the result of a corresponding approach architectonical and carving ideals had. Inner cities and urban milieus proposed for inscription are outstanding Top: examples for the cluster of monumental late baroque buildings which are Formenti. Map of Sicily rich in architectonic and carving values. As regards originality especially the 1705. religious buildings carried out some innovations: plan (a longer central

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part) and facade with Sicilian bell-tower. The subject of the facade seen as an 'urban monument' is excellently carried out in 'San Domenico' in Noto, 'San Giorgio' in Ragusa Ibla and 'San Giorgio' in Modica. (a) (v) Inner cities and urban areas proposed for inscription are examples particularly prominent in late baroque culture. They are in enormous peril for several reasons; the worst is being enlisted in a historic area seismologists consider very disastrous. Eastern part of Sicily has been enlisted at 2° seismic perilous degree with D.M. 23/09/1981. And furthermore a bad upkeeping of the stone material, mostly the very flaky limestone, the raw material of building and carving stone. Other perilous elements are in the area of Catania: possible volcanic eruptions and seismic events caused by Etna, an imposing volcano. (datum point: card general-Catania). b.Possible comparative analysis (including state of conservation of similar sites) There isn't in Europe an architectonic and urbanistic event so prominent as the rebirth in 'Val di Noto' both for the figure and significance of the carried out realizations and the great quality of the rebuilt area. The records mention about one thousand religious yards in about sixty rebuilt cities in a few years' time. In these yards spread models of baroque town planning and new and more symmetrically patterned town-planning models with streets and squares octagonally laid out: realization of early a seismatic rules. Let's compare the exceptional Sicilian wonders with areas undergoing similar rebuilding. 1693 seismic event involved Malta island in a less dangerous way. It realized a similar urban rebuilding especially in the ancient inner cities: Gozo isle and Mdina, the most destroyed town in Malta. The rebuilding event in Malta (where the disaster wasn't so serious as in Sicily for the less destroying seismic power of the area and the more 'modern' solid constructions in La Valletta) again presents the topic of revival in inner cities still medieval in their morphology and architectonic style at the end of the seventeenth century.

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The modernizing of Mdina in the same site with the old plan reasserts what is going on in Sicily too: the response to the seismic disaster determined the planning of a new city model conceived after Baroque culture and, where possible, more precautionary measures. In the mediterranean area, involved in this post-seismic disaster period, there are a cluster of proofs not so significant as in the extent of the rebuilding in Sicily for the rich variety of social, cultural and town-planning elements. The preservation of buildings and monuments in the Maltese cities is more limited than in Sicily because of its restricted area of rebuilding. 1755 disastrous earthquake of Lisbon involved an area more restricted than in Sicily where the recorded casualties (93.000) were more than in Lisbon (30.000). Some essential aseismic rules were adopted for a major knowledge in the building industry after the Sicilian disaster. Some documents are recorded like 'instructions' or rules for rebuilding in Catania; somewhere else the expertice in seismic disasters emphasizes some advices (card general: Catania, point 3 b). The earthquake of Lisbon, half a century later than the Sicilian one, is an advanced landmark in the approaching of architecture to earthquakes and 'the principles of modern aseismatic engineering are stated'. But it is the Sicilian earthquake that starts the research about the consequences of an earthquake to define a new way of building.

c.Authenticity Integrity 24 (b) (i) Inner cities and urban milieus, proposed for inscription, meet authenticity criteria for the kind of town-planning that distinguishes their grouth, for the excellent unity of urban milieu and architectonical realizations, and local skilled workers culture with the achievement of peculiar decorative distinctive features in the architecture of the rebuilding period.

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MILITELLOVALOFCATANIA Authenticity and extraordinary interest in Militello depends of the particu- la urban pattern, the result of a special town-plan, supported by Prince Branciforti (1575-1622) IS involved in culture and business as the govern- mental staff in Palermo and Messina after 1693. The urban milieu IS defined with the two parish churches of St. Nicolò and St. Mary the star. They are symbolic monumentis of the rebuilding because they utilize new aseismic late baroque planning with the fifteenth century basilical shape.

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At the bottom: Caltagirone. City view 1774

d.Criteria under which inscription is proposed (and justification for inscription under these criteria)

Authenticity and extraordinary interest in the inner cities and urban areas proposed for inscription are mostly due to the newness of the plan, to the homogeneus unity of town-planning and architectonical realizations, and to the excellent quality and splendour of architecture during the period of rebuilding.

CALTAGIRONE The uniqueness of downtown in Caltagirone is the result of the so many monumental buildings and greatly qualified town-planning responses, worked out with distinctive continuity and consistence mostly after baroque culture since the early years of the seventeeth century..

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CATANIA Authenticity and the extraordinry interest in the urban area in Catania proposed for inscription depend on the plan unique and particular for the time, for the cultural models it mirrors and the 'modernity' it spreads. The homogeneity of the pattern and the quality of architecture back to the eighteenth century and are a remarkable heritage. Inscription criteria: - unity and homogeneity of town-planning; - in particular the unity of urban milieu and architectonical context; - the particular architectonical language; -the homogeneity of materials (reference: the point 2 -card general on Catania).

MODICA Authenticity and extraordinary interest in Modica depends on the peculiar urban pattern injected into the exciting wild scenography. The urban milieu, involved in after-1693 growth, is rich in grand, scenographic, architectonic stairs and the imposing facades of St. Peter's and St. George's, which are the most distinctive monuments of the artistic culture in the rebuilding period. The church of Sant George, conceived with a strong visual emphasis and the church of San Peter, enlivened with the statues of the twelve apostles, are distinctive 'signs' of the gorgeous picturesque, sculptural, architectonical landscape with their imposing grandeur.

NOTO Authenticity and extraordinary interest in the urban pattern of Noto in the late baroque period are due to the uniqueness of its plan, ascribed to jesuit architect and engineer Angelo Italia, and to homogeneous unity of urban planning and scenographic architectonic realizations which enhances the mild sloping site (reference: 2.d Noto-Card general).

PALAZZOLOACREIDE Authenticity and extraordinary interest in Palazzolo Acreide depends on the uniqueness of its urban pattern, whose present structure is the result of various architectonic realizations and after-1963 town-planning growth. The inferior and superior sites are particular for the great number of the monumental religious and public buildings of the seventeenth and eighteenth century. The churches of St. Peter & Paul and St. Sebastian, symbols of their districts outstanding for their scenographic 'scenes' sumptuously inserted into the two squares, and for their peculiarly sculptural and decorative look are proposed for inscription. The towered church of St. Peter & Paul has a varied effect of movement

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and light and shadow produced by a three facade arcades; St. Sebastian'' has a plain facade rich in a great many sculptural elements

RAGUSA Authenticity and extraordinary interest in the planning of Ibla is due to the special unity of its medieval irregular shape and late baroque architectonic Top: pattern. Palazzolo Acreide. A view of St Paul District

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The urban 'plan' of Ibla is to be considered unique and authentic for the gorgeous result of the continous inserting of its milieu into the hilly site. Ragusa superior, refounded 'ex novo' after 1693, is, in Europe, a quite new town-planning with a late baroque geometric pattern (Reference:2d-card general : Ragusa).

SCICLI Francesco Mormina Penna street and Beneventano palace in Scicli are an excellent architectonical environment and cultural world heritage were it is possible to see the omogenous and modern rebuildig quite a ' jevel-case' that holds precious late baroque architectonical and artistic values. These elements are enhanced by the larger urban context injected into the interiors of three 'cave (glens)' spec- tacularly (reference point '2.d' card general: Scicli)

Top: Map of ancient and new Ragusa.1737 On the right: Scicli. Beneventano palace Mascaron of a balcony

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3.Description a.Description of Property The area of present Catania, Ragusa and Siracusa provinces, once 'Val di Noto', count several cities sharing a lot of urban and architectonic landmarks of baroque and late baroque periods. The unity of buildings and urban milieu has realized a homogeneous baroque territory. After 1693- earthquake rebuilding has left marks so distinctive in the history of the urban milieus of this territory that the whole 'Val di Noto' can be called 'the Valley of Baroque'

CALTAGIRONE

The city of today IS the result of numerous, sumptuosus, evocative late baroque town-planning and architectonic realizations operated during the end of the fifheenth and during the eighteenth century. They are the layout of late baroque, couple with and enhances the urban appearence with a theatrical scenography.

The superior and older part of the city IS made up of tiny 'residencial' buildings and is topped by the imposing church of 'Santa Maria del Monte' The western and eastern borders are marked by the imposing convent of 'PP. Riformati' and by the bell-tower of St. George. The monumental sixteenth century 'Scala (stairs)' of Santa Maria del Monte ( St. Mary of Mount ) unites the plain of 'ex. Matrice (former Cathedral)' to the square of the town-hall with a spectacular jumping inside a geometry ruling the whole ancient city. Here notwithstanding the orography were is the (cross-roads)': 'Scala' and 'Corso' (lengthuise); ancient 'Strada di San Giacomo' (Vittorio Emanuele steet)' and ancient 'Strada di San Giacomo (Luigi Sturzo steet) in breadth. The city grows from here in segments thanks daring town-planning solutions suchas St. Francis bridge, built during the seventeenth century, and Carolina street that is planned like a monumental 'Mall' marked with pillars, exedre and ornaments peculiar of the seventeenth culture (reference: point 3a: card general: Caltagirone)

MOSTIMPORTANTMONUMENTALBUILDINGS The Church of Santa Maria del Monte (ex Matrice) The building stands at the end of the monumental Scala of Santa Maria del Monte, it was the most important church of the city during the Middle ages. Its was destroyed by 1693 earthquake and completely rebuit with a drawing by Francesco Battaglia. The basilican interior presents three aisles realized with doric twin piers and a transept and the dome on pilasters set on a circular tam- bour the plain facade consists of two orders surmonted by an arched tympanum.

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St. James the Apostle's Church Erected by Count Ruggiero after his triumphal entry in Caltagirone in 1090 and destroyed by the 1693 earthquake, the Church of St. James the Apostle was one of the first churches to be rebuilt. In 1700 the façade was completed by architects Simone Mancuso and Giuseppe Montes. The plan of the interior is of the three- nave basilica typ. The façade is of two orders with the high-rise central part and large spiral scrolls or volutes on either side.

. On the right: St. Joseph's Church Caltagirone. Church of St. James Apostolo Severely damaged by the 1693 earthquake, it was reconstructed on a design by Rosario Gagliardi (records available as of 1746). The building has a circular plan

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deriving from a concentric circumscribed pentagon. The façade is of a single order with a high rise central part and has two short bell-towers emerging from the trabeation

St. Dominic's Church (or Church of the Rosary) and the Dominican's Convent The Convent was built between 1628 and 1640 near the Church. It was destroyed by the 1693 earthquake and the long reconstruction was completed in 1801 by Carlo Maria Longobardi who succeeded Bonaiuto as architect of the Municipal Senate. The structure of the Church is of the Basilica type with a single very long nave. Lateral Corinthian style plaster strips support a deep cornice that encircles the church and from which there arises a barrel vault Church of the Holy Saviour and Monastery of the Benedictine Sisters

The Monastery was built next to the Church of the Holy Saviour that existed prior to 1424 and was reconstructed where it rises at present after the 1693 earthquake. The construction of the Church began in 1759 by Don Nicolò Commendatore. The plan is octagonal with a pronaos and a three-order bell-tower-façade characterised by a great many plaster strips with Corinthian capitals

The Church of St. Chiara and St. Rita and Monastery of Clarisses. The set of buildings were reconstructed after the 1693 earthquake by architect Rosario Gagliardi between 1743 and 1748. The interior is an irregular octagonal plan, evolving into ovals and semicircular spaces. The façade of a single order with two lateral pillars stands out with its convex and elastic line that determines a perspective dynamic axis .

Right: Caltagirone. Church of St. Claire and St Rita

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The Church of Jesus and former College of the Jesuits

The Jesuit Fathers established themselves in Caltagirone in 1570; the church whose project is attributed to the lay Jesuit Francesco Costa was opened for worship in 1593. This set of buildings occupy a whole block in the very heart of the town. The façade of the church is divided by a number of pilaster strips that are Doric in the first order and Ionian in the second order, and the portal, completed during reconstruction after the 1693 earthquake, is flanked by four Corinthian coupled columns on plinths that support the rectilinear trabeation. The interior of the church consists of a single nave with a rectilinear apse and transept, and is ani- mated by lateral chapels divided by pilaster strips in giant order with richly ornate Corinthian capitals. Former Corte Capitanale The construction of the Corte Capitanale, a part of which was originally meant to act as Archives for the conservation of ancient parchments, began in 1587 and was completed in 1601 by Antonuzzo Gagini. Internally there is a succession of spa- cious rooms aligned along the axis of the façade, of suggestive 19th century con- ception. Civic Museum - Former Bourbon Prison

The building, designed by Natale Bonaiuto from Syracuse, is a massive but not heavy building with a single giant order, divided into three parts by coupled pilaster strips with Ionian capitals placed on a high plinth course of flat rusticwork. With its under- ground cells, the large cis- tern, the tor- ture rooms, the walks for the judges and its Chapel, this building is one of the most interesting and rarest examples of 18th century prisons. On the right: Former Monte delle Prestanze (Pawnshop) Caltagirone. Ex-Bourbon prison, The Monte delle Prestanze or Pawnshop was built on Piazza del Mercato on a Municipal Museum now. design by Architect Natale Bonaiuto. Completed in 1783, it consisted of only two

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stories with the entrance facing North. The third storey was built in the early 20th century on a design by G. Capitò an architect from Palermo. St Stephen's Church and Monastery

The Church and Monastery were founded in 1545 by the female order of St. Francis and the complex of buildings were badly damaged during the 1693 earthquake. In 1761 Francesco Battaglia, an architect from Catania, was assigned the task of designing the church and construction works began in 1762. The Church which is bare on the side that was not completed, was fitted with the same portal the previous church had prior to the 1693 earthquake. The interior has an octagonal central plan. Church and Convent of St. Francis of Assisi The convent of St. Francis of Assisi was founded in 1236 by Beato Riccardo, one of St. Francis of Assisi's companions. The church was built in the Gothic style almost at the same time as the convent, and it was dedicated to St. Michael the Archangel. In 1693, as a result of the earthquake, the convent was almost entirely destroyed and the church severely damaged. The restoration works of both church and convent began soon thereafter. The façade is of three orders superimposed on the Medieval façade which is still visible on the sides of the volutes of the third order, squared and completed with a double inclined roof. The interior consists of a single nave with apse and transept above which is a lantern dome.

Right: Caltagirone: Church of St. Francis of Assisi

49 Noto and late Baroque of South-Eastern Sicily

Theatre The theatre was conceived at the time of the extension southwards of "via Carolina", which today is via Roma, on the eastern slope of a hill just outside the town. The design was produced in 1792 by the architect of the City Senate, Natale Bonaiuto. For the majolica decorations Bonaito had recourse to the work of local ceramist master masons. In 1850 Gian Battista Basile turned the entire hillside, where the theatre rose, into an English garden. The Sant'Elia Building

Its construction, attributed to the architect Natale Bonaiuto, can be dated back to the last thirty years of the 18th century. Built along the extension of via Carolina, it consists of a grand staircase with a double flight of steps, arranged to produce a great scenic effect. The staircase leads to the open loggia, with three-mullioned ser- liana windows, which affords a breathtaking view of the town

Palazzo Gravina - Former Crescimanno - Former Perramuto The facade of the building is simple and austere. The piano nobile, consisting of a succession of monumentally decorated rooms, its 18th and 19th century furniture and furnishings have all been fully preserved. It was built prior to the 1693 earthquake. The Staircase of Santa Maria del Monte

Conceived as a large road, it was opened in the early 17th century after having mas- sively torn down Medieval buildings in order to provide access to the level of the new Palazzo di Città (City Hall) in the lower part of the town. The ancient church Matrice rises on the top of the Hill. In 1606 it was structured into terraces interca- lated with little squares (piazzette), on a design by Giuseppe Giacalone, Master Builder of the Kingdom. In 1844, the various flights of steps were unified on the basis of a design by architect Salvatore Marino, hence resulting in an imposing and majestic staircase. The San Francesco Bridge Il Ponte di San Francesco joins the south-western area, where the 15th and 16th century town lies, and the hill of St. Francis of Assisi, where the convent buildings of the Franciscan Fathers rose. The works began between 1628 and 1629 on a design by Orazio Torriani, a Roman engineer, and were discontinued in 1631 as a result of a longstanding dispute which was to last up until 1660, when the chronicles report information about the works being resumed under the orders of P. Bonaventura Certo from Messina, who brought them to completion in 1667. Of the five arches present, only the central one is a passage-way, while the three southern ones house lodgings on several levels.

Tondo Vecchio The semicircle constitutes the surviving part of an articulated complex of monumental buildings, commissioned by Ferdinand III of Bourbon, and of the urban section of the "new road", "via Carolina", which ran from the Ponte di San Francesco to the level of San Francesco di Paola. The monument, designed by Francesco Battaglia, an architect from Catania, was built of sandstone and fired bricks.

50 Noto and late Baroque of South-Eastern Sicily

Below: CATANIA Catania: the Amenano Fountain and Piazza Duomo In terms of urban quality and architectural context, the areas around piazza Duomo and via dei Crociferi are to be considered as the most representative of the new reconstruction plan of Catania after 1693. Piazza Duomo (former platea magna) was designed after the earthquake and meant to be the most important focal point of the town. The image it produces is that of a complex space, dominated by the imposing mass of the Cathedral. The choices made by Giovan Battista Vaccarini during the 1730s markedly enhanced the scenic effects of the piazza. A number of buildings, emblematic of the architecture of the reconstruction era, look out onto the square or arise in its immediate vicinity.

51 Noto and late Baroque of South-Eastern Sicily

Via dei Crociferi is one of the large highways appearing in the reconstruction plan by Camastron, along which sumptuous churches and imposing monasteries were built throughout the 18th century. It is a scenic route, lined with architectural backdrops that made of it the privileged seat of religious and convent-related power in the 18th century (refer to item 3 in the general description of Catania).

MAINMONUMENTALBUILDINGS Badia di Sant'Agata Construction works began in 1735, on a design by the architect Giovan Battista Vaccarini. The plan is central. The architectural order is organised into columns and composite protruding pilaster strips, a second order consists of shorter Doric columns and pilaster strips. The Vaccarini façade is characterised by a giant order of pilaster strips in limestone placed on a continuous lava stone skirting

Right: Catania. Detail of the Basilica di Sant'Agata

52 Noto and late Baroque of South-Eastern Sicily

Cathedral of Sant'Agata The original edifice had risen on parts of ancient Roman buildings such as Achille's Baths. After the 1693 earthquake, in reconstructing the Cathedral, under the direction of Girolamo Palazzotto, it was decided not to depart from the original location of the Norman Cathedral. The interior of the Cathedral of Catania is basilican with a Latin-cross plan and three naves. The 1732 façade was designed by architect Giovan Battista Vaccarini

Collegiata (St. Mary of the Alms, Royal Chapel)

The erection of the 18th century church is owed to architect Antonio Amato on a design by the Jesuit, Angelo Italia. The building was structured according to the basilica plan with three naves, and a deep choir in front of the central apse. The façade is the work of architect Stefano Ittar (1758). The Jesuit College

Right: The College was damaged by the 1693 earthquake. For its reconstruction Angelo Catania. Piazza Duomo. Italia adopted a scheme which envisaged - parallel to the longitudinal axis of the The Cathedral Church - a three-court body inscribed in a trapezium. The façade was executed by Alonzo di Benedetto.

53 Noto and late Baroque of South-Eastern Sicily

Benedictine Monastery of San Nicolò la Rena The entire complex of the Church plus Convent was destroyed almost entirely by the 1693 earthquake. In 1703 activities began to reconstruct the Convent. Francesco Battaglia took over as site superintendent in 1732, followed in 1739 by Giovan Battista Vaccarini, to whom we owe the body of the refectory, the Museum and the Library

Church of St. Benedict The Church of St. Benedict is part of the same complex which includes the buildings of the Benedictine Sisters of the Holy Sacrament of Perpetual Adoration. The earthquake made the whole monastic complex collapse, including the church. The reconstruction of the church, consisting which is a single hall and has no transept, was started in 1708, and the activities were directed by Paolo Battaglia. The main façade, which was finished in 1747, was built in limestone and is characterised by a marked vertical development Above: Catania. The Benedictine Church of St. Julian Monastery Of San Nicolò La The masterpiece of the architect Giovan Battista Vaccarini, this church was built Rema

54 Noto and late Baroque of South-Eastern Sicily

between 1741 and 1760. The plan is a longitudinal ellipse on a two-axis scheme emphasised by semi-elliptical chapels at the ends of the axes. Vaccarini completed the façade, designed exclusively to produce prospective effects as it has no structural function in relation to the body of the church. Its central partition is raised and with two orders it conceals the volume of the space. It also has a mock balcony in the middle. Church of San Francesco Borgia The construction of this church began in 1623 on a design prepared by Father Tommaso Blandino. The church has a traditional layout with three naves and a transept. The design of the façade has been attributed to the architect Angelo Italia.

Right: Catania: Church of San Francesco Borgia

55 Noto and late Baroque of South-Eastern Sicily

Church of San Nicolò la Rena

The church, modelled on the Roman architectural patterns, was begun in 1687 on a design by G.B. Contini. The interior is basilican with three naves. After the 1693 earthquake, activities were resumed by Amato, and then by Francesco Battaglia at first and later by Stefano Ittar, who in 1780 erected the dome. The façade, on a new design by Carmelo Battaglia Santangelo, was left unfinished. The Seminary (Seminario dei Chierici)

The Seminary was built after the 1693 earthquake on the site of the ancient Bishop's Building. Construction works began roughly in 1695 perhaps on a design by Alonso di Benedetto. From an architectural standpoint, the building has a block plan internal courtyard. The facade is characterised by a giant order of pilaster strips with diamond-shaped rusticwork. Palazzo Biscari The palace of the Paternò Castello family, princes of Biscari, is one of the best known buildings embodying 18th century architecture in Catania. Its plan is 'U'- shaped and surrounds a large courtyard. The façade was constructed in different stages in time. The architectural module consists of arches that are squared by semi-inlaid columns

The Municipal Hall (Palazzo degli Elefanti) The building which houses the Municipality today, and was rebuilt after the 1693 earthquake, has a rectangular plan with a central courtyard lined by column on two sides. The erection activities began in 1696 by Giovan Battista Longobardo and Right: were continued with the intervention of the Venetian architect Sanarelli who com- Catania: Palazzo Biscari. pleted the second floor. In 1732 Vaccarini was assigned the task to redo the west, Detail of the façade south and eastern facades

56 Noto e il tardo barocco della Sicilia sud-orientale

Militello Val di Catania The current built-up area is the outcome of architectural and town-planning interventions carried out in different periods. The most ancient monuments date back to the 14th century, as does the initial design of the town consisting of the tongues of neighbourhoods at the foot of the castle. The urban centre is surrounded by massive walls. The town has developed along the South-North line leaving aside the steep and instable slopes but progressively inhabiting the overlying plateau. Great impulse in this direction was given by prince Francesco Branciforte, who had roads laid out and who founded churches according to such a grand design that the area covered by the new urban plan included the areas where post-earthquake reconstruction was carried out and even the growth which was to occur in subsequent centuries up to the beginning of the 20th century. We owe Branciforte the foundation of St. Benedict's Abbey which was partially rebuilt in the late Baroque era, after the 1693 earthquake, and which is very similar in plan to the Monastery of San Nicolò l'Arena in Catania. The prince also promoted the construction of the bell-tower of the Mother Church which, embodied into the façade in axial position and with the function of acting as atrium on the ground floor, was to represent with the Enna Mother Church, one of the archetypes of the façade with built-in bell towers that was to characterise the late Baroque architecture of Val di Noto. The tower, 44 metres high, was completed in 1648, but it collapsed under the influence of the 1693 earthquake.

Right: Militello, Church of Santa Maria della Stella

57 Noto e il tardo barocco della Sicilia sud-orientale

MAINMONUMENTALBUILDINGS

Church of San Nicolò and Church of Santa Maria della Stella As in other towns, the reconstruction of the parish churches of San Nicolò and Santa Maria della Stella characterised the town-planning and social events of the urban centre because of the rivalry between the two parishes. The exceptional artistic results were achieved also thanks to the competition between the two communities. The early decades of the 18th century witnessed controversies and changes in programs until it was decided to reconstruct the church of Santa Maria on the site where the church of St. Anthony the Abbot had risen and to shift the church of San Nicolò to the San Leonardo neighbourhood.

Right: Militello. The Church of St. Mary of the Star.

58 Noto e il tardo barocco della Sicilia sud-orientale

In spite of the decision to shift the church, for a certain period of time the old church was kept alive, until it was definitely destroyed by fire in 1725. For the reconstruction of the two churches the normal longitudinal plan with three naves separated by columns was adopted. There are strong doubts as to the attribution by local historians of the designs to Francesco Fichera for San Nicolò and to Francesco Coniglio for Santa Maria della Stella. The construction of Santa Maria della Stella began in March 1722 and ended in 1741 with the completion of the three naves and transept and only one bay of the transept which was used as presbytery.

Right: Militello, Church of San Nicolò

59 Noto e il tardo barocco della Sicilia sud-orientale

The worksite for the construction of San Nicolò opened in 1721 and in 1740 the church was opened for worship. The facades of both churches are divided into three partitions by embedded columns. The Corinthian order is used for Santa Maria della Stella and the composite order for San Nicolò. The portal of Santa Maria della Stella has spiral columns whereas San Nicolò presents couples of columns.Both churches had ornate ocules with scrolls that are of the same type as those of St. Benedict's church.The façade of Santa Maria della Stella was completed in 1741. A second order in the central partition is linked to the lower order by means of volutes or spiral scrolls. The façade is crowned by a triangular tympanum-shaped shrine inserted between the broken wings of the curvilinear tympanum. The architect Francesco Battaglia from Ctania was called upon to complete the façade. Works began in the early Fifties. The lower order was completed with a massive cornice and only the central partition was raised in the midst of couples of composite pilaster strips. A fastigium with an oval shield was placed as attic. In 1765, architect Battaglia was given the assignment of erecting the bell-tower. The architect duplicated the main lines of the first order of the façade of the church and superimposed a belfry onto it. The crypt of the church of San Nicolò now houses a museum where an exhibition takes the visitor through the artistic life of Militello with such items on display as silverware, gold objects, sculptures and major paintings. Complementary to this display is the exhibition of the assets of Santa Maria della Stella. Right: Militello, Church of San Nicolò. Detail.

60 Noto and late Baroque of South-Eastern Sicily

MODICA

MAINMONUMENTALBUILDINGS

St. George's Cathedral Built in the 12th century, it was destroyed by the 1613 earthquake and was reconstructed on the same site on a design by Brother Marcello da Palermo. It was again damaged by the 1693 earthquake and rebuilt with contributions by the faithful. The interior is basilican with three naves and deep inter-communicating chapels, with a transept and dome. The three-order façade with built-in tower was started in 1761 on a design by Paolo Labisi.

Right: Modica. St. Church's George

61 Noto and late Baroque of South-Eastern Sicily

St. Peter's Church The ancient Cathedral of St. Peter the Apostle was built around 1350-60. It was restored after being partially destroyed by the 1693 earthquake. It has three naves. Steps lead up to the façade which presents superimposed orders by means of pilaster and counter-pilaster strips that are either of rusticwork or engraved relief mouldings of popular but original forms.

Right: Modica. St. Peter's Church .

62 Noto and late Baroque of South-Eastern Sicily

NOTO

The urban layout of the new town comprises two levels: the slope and the upper part on the hill (Pianazzo - plateau). The monumental part of Noto is concentrated in the lower level namely the part of the town built on the slope, which accommodates the buildings of the nobility and the religious complexes which gave rise to the "baroque backdrop" or "baroque stage set" during the 18th century. The main axis of the town design, running along the slope, was conducive to the emergence of a spectacular baroque order, with uphill streets crossing the main street (refer to item "3,a" in the general description of Noto).

Right: Detail of the 1783 town layout of Noto

MAINMONUMENTALBUILDINGS St. Claire's Church (Santa Maria Assunta)

The church was designed around 1730 by architect Rosario Gagliardi. It has an oval plan preceded by an internal narthex with two apses. Externally the building has a massive appearance with flat walls that have relatively few decorations. The top is characteristic because it has two functions: it acts as bell tower and as a lookout Church of the Holy Crucifix Designed to be among the most important buildings in the whole town, the church was built with the same orientation as St. Nicolò's Cathedral. Construction activities began in 1715 on a design and under the supervision of architect Rosario Gagliardi. The church has the form of a Latin cross with three naves. The façade, consisting of two orders of pilaster strips, is incomplete in its upper part and the central portion protrudes with respect to the side portions. St. Dominic's Church TConstruction of the church and of the convent complex began in 1737, on a design by architect Rosario Gagliardi. The plan is an original synthesis of the lon-

63 Noto and late Baroque of South-Eastern Sicily

gitudinal and central plans, which was a rather rare choice in Sicily at that time. The façade reveals the internal configuration as a result of its central part being strong- ly convex, almost as if it were squeezed out by the compression exerted by the interior.

Church of Montevergine The church and the convent compound were probably built during the first half of the 18th century. The dormitory of the monastery was built under the directions of architect Rosario Gagliardi, whereas the church was erected on a design by architect Vincenzo Sinatra. The Church of Montevergine, dedicated to St. Jerome, has a longitudinal plan with a single nave. Its major characteristic is its south-looking façade, which presents a masterly central concavity, emphasised by the flight of steps leading up to it.

The Church and Convent of St. Francis The complex consisting of the convent of St. Francis of Assisi was among the first to be built after the 1693 earthquake. The general design was by architect . The cloister instead was attributed to architect Vicenzo Sinatra. The church, whose small rectangular church- yard is preceded by four flights of steps, has a rectangular plan. The two-level façade with a tympanum in its central top partition consists of two orders of pilaster strips. .

Right: Noto. Church of St. Francis .

64 Noto and late Baroque of South-Eastern Sicily

Church of Our Lady of Mount Carmel (Church of Mt. Carmel) The Church, annexed to the convent of the Carmelite Fathers, was built between1743 and 1770 and its design was attributed to the work of the architect Rosario Gagliardi. The plan is an octagon elongated along the longitudinal axis, preceded by a rectangular vestibule and a deep semicircular presbytery at the other end of the axis. The façade, which is markedly concave and acts as a backdrop, is of the type with built-in bell-tower and presents three decreasing orders.. Church of St. Mary of the Arch Construction of the monastery began in 1713, on a design by architect Rosario Gagliardi, The church, which was started in 1730, it too on a design by architect Rosario Gagliard, who supervised construction activities up to 1760, has a longitudinal plan with a single nave delimited by two semicircular apses, one at the entrance and the other at the presbytery. The façade consists of a single squat block, with a single order, defined by two couples of Corinthian bas-relief pilaster strips, that delimit the two lateral partitions of the façade. .

Right: Noto, Church of St. Nicholas Church of St. Nicholas The church was started in the early 18th century, perhaps on a design by architect Rosario Gagliardi. The plan is of the traditional basilica type, with three naves, lateral chapels and a transept that develops beyond the longitudinal walls. The façade is rectilinear and characterised by two superimposed orders, and, in the middle partition there is a back-to-back frame of free-standing Corinthian columns. Church and Convent of the Holy Saviour The compound was built in different stages throughout the entire 18th century.

65 Noto and late Baroque of South-Eastern Sicily

The church, that has a neoclassical and rather academic façade, has a hall shape and is preceded by a vestibule with two semicircular chapels on the sides. It ends with a semicircular apse. Palazzo Battaglia This is a rectangular two-storey building. The main facade is divided vertically into three partitions by couples of pilaster strips. A document of 1733 suggests that the architect of this building was Rosario Gagliardi. Palazzo Ducezio

This three-storey, elongated rectangular building, meant to be the seat of the Senate, was built on a design by the architect Vinceno Sinatra, and was started in 1742. Palazzo Impellizzeri This building was built on the Pianazzo (plateau) after the 1693 earthquake as part of the reconstruction of the town and was completed roughly in 1752. Attributed to architect Vincenzo Sinatra, it is rectangular in shape, it occupies a whole block and is characterised by courtyards. Palazzo Landolina The building, which is rectangular in shape and has internal courtyards, rises in the most important focal point of the town, at the middle of the chequer-board design of the town, to the left of the Cathedral. The facade presents three orders marked by complex string courses or cordons. The project is attributed to Vincenzo Sinatra and construction began in 1730. Palazzo Nicolaci Construction work began in 1720 on a design attributed to Rosario Gagliardi. The façade is rendered and the edges marked by rusticwork pilaster strips. The interior counts over a hundred rooms, including sumptuous reception rooms of which the most outstanding are the yellow, the green and the red rooms for the richness of their brocade upholstery. Palazzo Rau This building is very large, quadrangular with a central courtyard . It has barrel vaults and a saddle roof . The South facade looks out onto via Ducezio. The piano nobile rises on a solid base marked by small doorways for the servants, it is enclosed by robust terminal edges and marked by a string course and by a series of Above: Noto. Church and arches carved out of stone sections separated by flat pilaster strips with Doric cap- Convent of the Holy Saviour itals.

66 Noto and late Baroque of South-Eastern Sicily

RAGUSA The town of Ragusa is the outcome of a unique town-planning effort made in two different areas at two different times. The town rises on three hills separated by a deep valley, The unifying element of the two urban realities is the widespread baroque aspect produced by the many buildings erected as part of the major reconstruction effort after 1693. The old Ibla, the original Medieval town founded by the Siculans, was reconstructed by preserving the old Medieval layout, whereas Upper Ragusa was entirely designed anew as of 1693. It was to rise on Patro Hill with a series of orthogonal avenues superimposed on a rational gridiron plan, in accordance with the Baroque town design criteria. (for further information refer to item 3, a in the general description of Ragusa)..

Right: Ragusa. Aerial view of the town

MAINMONUMENTALBUILDING Church of the Holy Souls in Purgatory The church opened for worship in 1658 and was not badly damaged by the 1693 earthquake. Its plan is of the basilica type and has three naves separated by columns that end in a semicircular apse. The façade is divided into three partitions with the sides tilted to form a convex shape deriving from an irregular octagon

Church of St. John the Baptist Construction works began immediately after the 1693 earthquake and records are available beginning from 1694. Vast building in the form of a Latin cross of the basilica type, it has three naves and six bays. The southward-loking façade is divided into five partitions and consists of two orders; it is characterised by the rich sculptures of the main portal.

67 Noto and late Baroque of South-Eastern Sicily

Church of Santa Maria dei Miracoli

This suburban little church of S. Maria dei Miracoli, undoubtedly dates back to before 1693. The building is made of bricks and consists of a single hall on an octagonal elongated plan. It rises on the southern side of the hill on which Ibla lies. Church of Santa Maria dell'Idria The plan is of the basilica type with three naves divided by columns with Corinthian capitals. The façade is linear and divided into three partitions by robust pilaster strips on plinths, ending with capitals in the mannerist style. Recent studies have shown the construction of the central core of the new church to date back to the late 17th century.. Church of San Filippo Neri

The church was erected between the third and the sixth decade of the 17th century by the Confraternity of San Filippo Neri. It is a hall-shaped church with a quadrangular apse at one end and a chapel at the level of the central bay on the right side. Church and Convent of San Francesco all'Immacolata

This complex of buildings occupies the same site where a first Franciscan convent dating back to 1225 had risen. The building of the church dates back to the end of the 16th century. The 1693 earthquake caused the façade of the last bay to collapse and damage to the bell tower. The church has maintained its 16th century layout with three naves and no transept. St. George's church The building is fairly large, and has the traditional basilica layout with three naves and a semicircular transept. The most interesting part of the whole building is its façade, the best example of façade with built-in bell-tower of the Sicilian late Baroque architecture, which was designed, as was the church, by architect Rosario Gagliardi

Right: Ragusa. St. George's Cathedral

68 Noto and late Baroque of South-Eastern Sicily

Church and Convent of St Mary of Jesus The church and convent date from around the second half of the 17th century. The whole complex was severely damaged by the earthquake of 1693. This vast complex is spread over four levels, situated on a rocky mass following the contour of the crest. Saint Joseph's Church The church adjoining the Benedictine convent of enclosure, was built in the second half of the eighteenth century in place of a church damaged by the earthquake of 1693, adjoining the convent and of smaller dimensions. The interior ground plan is oval, with a terminal semicircular apse, preceded by a small internal narthex, with two apses, while the facade is interesting on account of its architectural richness and composition.. Palace of the Old Chancellery The Palace was built after the 1693 earthquake. The building consists of various parts dating from different periods; the part dating from the second half of the eighteenth century displays great richness and originality of composition. The facade, divided into three sections, is composed so as to appear a wing modulated with refinement of composition and emphasis of decoration and detail. Palazzo Cosentini

Built around the sev- enth decade of the 18th century, on a simple rectangular ground plan, with three storeys, this may be one of the most representative civil buildings of eighteenth century architectural culture in Val di Noto Palazzo Battaglia No certain historic documentation exists relative to the erection of the building, except that it took place between 1773 and 1778. The building, with a quadrangular ground plan and of large dimensions, on two main elevations, in addition to a mezza- nine floor and an attic, On the right: is characterised by two Ragusa. Palazzo Cosentini. front elevations, differ- Corbel of a balcony. ing in composition.

69 Noto and late Baroque of South-Eastern Sicily

Below: Ragusa. View of Ibla. Palazzo Bertini It was built by the Floridia family, presumably at the end of the eighteenth century. The building is of regular shape and is characterised by the composition of the facade and by the sculptural elements adorning it. The front elevation looking out onto Corso Italia, on two levels, is defined by pilaster strips in the terminal parts, with a floor-marker ledge and simple upper trabeation, while an element of great importance is the entry portal. Palazzo La Rocca Built between 1760 and 1780, probably by skilled local workers, it is organised on two levels symmetrically divided into seven vertical bands, whose characterising element is represented by the seven balconies, with iron railings in the shape of a goose's breast. Palazzo Sortino Trono It was built between 1778 and 1793, on an area marked by big differences in level, thus determining its shape and general organisation. It appears as a very elongated rectangle. The main front elevation is elegantly divided by five pilaster strips in stone that terminate with capitals and cornice on trabeation. Palazzo Zacco Built in the second half of the eighteenth century, this is one of the first examples of baroque noble architecture the part of the city known as Upper Ragusa. It is ornamented by extremely fine decorative and compositional elements. It stands on the corner between two roads, and is of regular shape, thus further underlin- ing the symmetry of composition of the two front elevations and the richness of the decorative elements.

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SCICLI Via Francesco Mormina Penna is situated at the heart of the late medieval inhabited centre of Scicli; with a large number of patrician buildings dating from the late baroque period, the road is the outcome of a series of adaptations that have gradually determined its scenographic conformation, having a characteristic half-moon shape, from which the monumental bell- tower facade of the church of Saint John the Evangelist stands out (see in this connection point 3.a of the general card on Scicli).

MONUMENT Church of Saint John the Evangelista Built between 1760-65 and the beginning of the 19th century, it has the typical bell- tower facade that is one of the most interesting examples of Iblean late baroque. The interior on an elliptical ground-plan, is preceded by a narthex completed by a deep semicircular apse. Church of Saint Michael Archangel Historic documents regarding the church start from 1750, the year in which the Bishop of Syracuse sends the architect Rosario Gagliardi to Scicli, to inspect the works for the building of a church. The author of the original plan is the architect Michelangelo Alessi, by then dead, whose job is taken over by Giuseppe Fama. The front elevation is of three orders; the last order occupies exclusively the space of the central part. The ground plan is elliptic, consisting of a short narthex with two apses and a semi-cylindrical apse.

Church of Saint Teresa The history of the church is linked to the adjoining monastery, founded and built in 1660 and that the earthquake of 1693 had completely destroyed. The facade, presenting a straight surface, is enclosed by two pilaster strips of Tuscan order completed on the top by a triple-arched gallery. The interior, consisting of a single rectangular space, is characterised by a narthex and an apse.

On the right: Palazzo Beneventano Scicli. Church of Saint Teresa This building is one of the most renowned of

71 Noto and late Baroque of South-Eastern Sicily

the Sicilian late baroque, "perhaps the only one in Sicily to display fantastic decoration". It is positioned at a corner on two fronts that follow the slope of the ground. A powerful connecting angle is characterised by the gigantic order and the typically baroque pilaster strips. It may date from about the middle of the eighteenth century.

On the right: Scicli. Palazzo Beneventano Palazzo Spadaro The first information on this building dates back to 1742, the year in which the presence of the architect and engineer Giuseppe Fama is recorded. It occupies a trapezoidal area. The facade is characterised by nine tuscan pilaster strips supported by pedestals. Palazzo Veneziano Sgarlata It is presumed that it was built during the second half of the eighteenth century, on the structures of an earlier building. Its front elevation is marked by simple lines of classic inspiration, while the central axis is characterised by a portal and by a balcony above it, both finely decorated.

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b.History and Development

CALTAGIRONE City of ancient origin, with important vestiges of prehistoric and Greek times, it is a rare example of continuity through the development of its urban history starting from the Middle Ages, the first documented period of its development. In the Middle Ages, the original inhabited centre must have been a small fortified township situated on the top of a mound around the castle and the mother church. Thereafter, between the 15th and the 17th century the city undergoes many architectural and town-planning changes that have led to its modern configuration, maintained after 1693. The key moment in the final definition of the urban lay-out are the years following the earthquake of 1693, an occasion destined to bring the city to its full maturity, marked by a late baroque culture, but with its own peculiar features, connected to the configuration of the site, albeit in the context of important external contributions of the Italian and European baroque tradition (see point 3.b of the general card on Caltagirone). Below: Catania in the 18th century engraving by CATANIA F. Orlando. Immediately after the earthquake of 1693, that marks the destruction of medieval Catania, the Spanish ruling class sets in hand the reconstruction of the city, deciding that this must take place on the same site, according to precise "rules". The plan, dictated by the practical requirements of clearing away the rubble and the need to immediately ensure connections between one part of the city and the other, is drawn up by the Duke of Camastra and his team. Thus it is that Piazza Duomo, from which the main North-South connecting axis of the city starts, and Via Crociferi constitute two privileged areas in the new plan. In particular, the new roads: Uzeda (today Via Etnea), Lanza (Via San Giuliano), San Filippo (Via Garibaldi) and San Francesco (Via Crociferi), together with linking to one another of the squares, among which the former Platea Magna (Piazza Duomo) stands out as being representative, form an urban back-drop to the new buildings. The vast sums of money invested in the new Catania and certain government facilitations allow ambitious building programmes to be undertaken, that determine not only the splendour of the new noble and religious buildings, but also their exceptional dimensions (see in this connection point 3.b of the general card on Catania).

73 Noto e il tardo barocco della Sicilia sud-orientale

MILITELLOVALDICATANIA Centre boasting ancient origins. Founded by the Romans or by the Arabs according to contrasting hypotheses, it was a fief of the Barresi in the XIV century who enclosed it with city walls. A castle of square structure with central courtyard surmounted by cylindrical towers and a great fortified tower in the centre of the front elevation looked out over the medieval township. After passing into the hands of Prince Francesco Branciforti (1575-1622), it was the subject of an ambitious project of urban restructuring advanced for its times. Partially destroyed by the 1693 earthquake, it was rebuilt following the grandiose town-planning project based on the wide links of Prince Branciforti's plan, spreading over the plateau and filling in the spaces left between the streets dating from seventy years earlier. The author of this town-planning policy was Prince Carlo Maria Carafa who, ordering the older quarters situated on the unstable slopes to be abandoned, in fact carried on the work of Prince Branciforti. The city was rebuilt in the sign of the late baroque culture over the span of the whole eighteenth century, with results of high artistic quality.

On the right: Militello. Nineteenth century map.

74 Noto and late Baroque of South-Eastern Sicily

NOTO The present city is the outcome of a refoundaiton on a different site from the original one, as from the earthquake of 1693 that destroyed the ancient medieval Noto on the top of Mount Alveria. The decision to rebuild Noto on a new site is ascribed to Giuseppe Lanza, Duke of Camastra, appointed by the Viceroy his Deputy General for the rebuilding of Val di Noto. As from the decision to abandon the old site, the history of Noto is marked by interminable disputes, which finally end up with the clergy and the aristocracy getting their way, and deciding to set up the new city on the Meti. Monumental Noto owes its ground-plan to the Jesuit, architect and engineer, Angelo Italia (see in this connection item 3.b of the general description of Noto).

PALAZZOLOACREIDE The first period from which its history is documented is the Middle Ages, in the course of which it is identified in the area around the castle with a small inhabited centre. In the course of the sixteenth century the taking up by the monastic orders of a higher position compared to the previous site determines the directrix of a new development, followed by the building in the seventeenth century of the church of Saint Sebastian and, after 1693, the growth of a more modern city "centre" along the axis of the main Corso. The two churches of Saint Sebastian and Saints Peter and Paul, largely rebuilt following the earthquake and in keen competition with each other, identify their respective quarters. That of Saint Paul, of older date, On the right: V. Sinatra. Plane geometry of remains the centre of original noble class, whereas those of Saint Sebastian the new Noto and its territory. is the quarter of the new urban classes.

75 Noto and late Baroque of South-Eastern Sicily

RAGUSA

The earthquake of 1693 seriously damaged the original medieval township

of Ibla. In the course of reconstruction, the powerful social tensions existing between the nobility and new entrepreneurial class led to the rebuilding of the city on the basis of two separate entities, initially inde- pendent from the juridical administrative point of view. The slower rebirth of Ibla in the course of the eighteenth century, at the hands of the nobility, was countered by the phenomenon of the more rapid creation of the new Ragusa (by the entrepreneurial class), which arose following 1693 on the adjacent hill of Patro (See in this connection item 3.b in the general description of Ragusa).

SCICLI Via Francesco Mormina Penna, together with the nearby Palazzo Beneventano, belong to the road system of Scicli developed on the plain before 1693, as from the late Middle Ages. This particular road structure, the product of spontaneous planning, is due to a combination of the older roads, of medieval origin, that ran down from the hills, with straighter roads dating from the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries. Thus it is that the Discesa di San Matteo winds Above: down the hill, to end up at Ragusa. View of Ibla. Palazzo Beneventano dating On the right: from the second half of the Scicli: Palazzo Spadaro.Detail. eighteenth century

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c.Form and date of most recent records of site BOSCARINO S., SICILIABAROCCA. ARCHITTETTURAECITTÀ. 1610- 1760, ROME, 1997, 3RDED. TRIGILIA L. (EDITED BY), 1693 ILIADEFUNESTA. LA RICOSTRUZIONEDELLECITTÀDELVALDINOTO, PALERMO, 1994 DUFOUR L. - RAYMOND H., VALDINOTO. LARINASCITADOPO ILDISASTRO, CATANIA, 1994

d.Present state of conservation The conservation of the inhabited centres of the Val di Noto and of their monumental and historic heritage is based on the implementation of certain main legislative and town-planning instruments that, if correctly applied in conjunction with a constant action of vigilance to ensure their maintenance, should guarantee the future of the heritage contained in these various sites. The general situation of the different townships shows a substantial degree of homogeneity, however accompanied by certain important specific peculiarities. The present state of conservation of these townships mirrors the effectiveness of the various territorial sections of the Superintendency for the Cultural and Architectural Heritage, that constitute the main organ of protection responsible for this heritage, mainly characterised by monumental complexes and liable to specific constraints and safeguards. The large number of interventions carried out in the last ten years were funded on the basis of special laws of regional and national type: funds set aside by the Regional Councillorship for the Cultural and Environmental Heritage (para. 38360) 1986 for the "Noto emergency"); funds based on Law no. 449/1987; funds from Law no. 64/1986; and funds from Regional Law no. 61/1981. Other interventions were carried out, or are being undertaken, on the basis of the ordinary funds earmarked by the Regional Councillorship for the Cultural and Environmental Heritage; while yet others are undergoing completion by means of Funding Law no. 433/1991 for reconstruction following the earthquake of 1990, relative to public and private buildings. The objectives of this law (Art. 2) are the "recuperation and conservation of buildings of worship and of historic, artistic and monumental interest, with special reference to the baroque heritage of Val di Noto".

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Below: Overall, the present state of conservation of the monumental heritage may Scicli: Church of Saint Teresa. be considered as the outcome of an ongoing campaign, with urgent actions Interior. Detail or actions of consolidation for the most part completed, however insuffi- cient to guarantee the total safeguard of the heritage in question against sit- uations of danger or deterioration, even in the absence of exceptional events (such as earthquakes, etc.). Certain monumental complexes are in fact still waiting for appropriate action to be taken. Among the other main problems encountered in the various historic centres is a widespread lack of maintenance, especially in respect of private buildings and lesser historic buildings, above all as regards plaster work, stone facings, roofs, gutters and drain-pipes to ensure the run-off of rain water, thereby causing the deterioration of masonry and structures, in addition to damage deriving from the installation years ago of by now outdat- ed technological systems and devices of various kinds. The state of conservation of the privately-owned architectural heritage depends above all on the type of ownership and on the difficulty that owners find in raising the enormous funds required for maintenance and appro-

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priate restoration. A series of interventions funded by ad hoc laws are now attenuating or solving the problem of the lack of maintenance. Important policies of intervention for the rehabilitation of the lesser buildings as a whole are now under way in various towns, including Ragusa, where already for over ten years now the Technical Operative Office for the Historic Centre is at work. This Office also provides interventions envis- aging financial help as demonstrated by the more recent initiatives under- way in Caltagirone. In view of the specific nature of the different local realities for more detailed information the reader is referred to item 3.d of the general description of each town. e.Policies and programmes related to the presenta- tion and promotion of the property The task of safeguarding the integrity of sites is entrusted mainly to the action of protection, safeguard and maintenance carried out by the local sections of the Superintendency of Architectural and Environmental Heritage, in respect of the requirements of the general laws for protection of the territory and the historic artistic and monumental heritage (especially with regard to the requirements of Acts n° 1089 and 1497 of 1939). This work is in certain cases backed up by specific local structures of protection and enhancement of the town-planning, architectural and landscape heritage, for example at Ragusa where, as a result of Regional Act n° 61 of 1981, the Technical Operative Office for Historic Centres is now functional. The work of fostering knowledge of the architectural and landscape heritage of historic centres is mainly carried out by: a) the local sections of the Provincial Autonomous Boards for the Promotion of Tourism; their specific task being to foster, including actions also at international level, knowledge of the historic, artistic, landscape and cultural heritage of the entire territory of the province to which they belong, for the purpose of encouraging tourism; b) the various Municipal Administrations, through the local Department for Tourism and the other local structures connected with such activities. Such structures are explicitly dedicated to the activities of valorisation and promotion of local cultural and tourist activities. Interventions, aimed at the valorisation and fostering of knowledge of the cultural heritage and traditions of the individual towns (including beyond their natural boundaries), are undertaken on the basis of a general programme-planning (in ccordance with Regional Act n° 6 dated 07/03/1997), in the form of a Three-year Plan.For a detailed description of the activities promoted locally by the various structures, see item 3.e of the general description of the individual towns.

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4. Management a.Ownership The religious buildings open to worship are mostly owned by the Diocesan Curias competent by territory; some are owned by the Italian State and come under the Ministry for Internal Affairs - Fund for Worship Buildings. Most of the monumental buildings of architectural value are owned by the Local Authorities such as the Region of Sicily, the Regional Provinces and individual Municipalities. Some civilian buildings of architectural value are owned by private entities. For a precise definition of the ownership of the various buildings, the reader is referred to items "4.a" of the chapters on the individual towns and, for more thorough details, to items "3.a" of the description of the main monumental buildings of each town.

b.Legal status 'The Diocesan Curia of Caltagirone, the Diocesan Curia of Catania, the Diocesan Curia of Noto and the Diocesan Curia of Ragusa are Religious Entities. The Italian State, the Region of Sicily, the Regional Province of Below: Catania, the Regional Province of Ragusa, the Regional Province of Modica: Palazzo Polara Syracuse, the Municipality of Caltagirone, the Municipality of Catania, the Municipality of Militello in Val di Catania, the Municipality of Modica, the Municipality of Noto, the Municipality of Palazzolo Acreide, the Municipality of Ragusa and the Municipality of Scicli are public bodies. As a consequence the assets that they are responsible for are to be considered as public property. The assets belonging to private bodies and entities are to be considered as private property.

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c.Protective measures and means of implementig them The main protection and conservation measures are provided by the national and regional legislation for the protection of the artistic, monumental, landscape, naturalistic, seismic, hydrogeological and forestry heritage. In particular, by Act 1089/39, Act 1497/39; Act 64/74; Act 431/85; Regional Act 61/81; Article 5 of R.A. 15/91 and all their subsequent modifications and supplements. These laws provide for the establishment of ad hoc restraints to protect the heritage on the basis of which each public or private intervention, aimed at making physical changes or at changing the use to be made of the asset, is subject to inspection by ad hoc Territorial Offices, both prior to and after the execution of such interventions. These Offices are the following: a) the provincial sections of the Superintendency of Architectural and Environmental Heritage (Soprintendenza ai Beni Architettonici e Ambientali) are the main protection body at the provincial level, having the function of supervision and protection of the monumental, artistic and environmental heritage. Moreover, such Bodies have tasks and powers for the execution of conservative and restoration interventions. Within the framework of the Region of Sicily the various provincial sections of the Superintendency report directly to the Regional Department for Cultural Heritage; b) the provincial sections of the Ufficio del Genio Civile (Civil Engineers Office), have the tasks of exercising control and supervision on the application of the regulations on the static worthiness of buildings, with special reference to anti-seismic rules and changes to the territory; such Bodies also have competence over the execution of emergency initiatives, mainly for static reinforcement; within the Region of Sicily the provincial offices report directly to the Regional Public Works Department; c) the provincial sections of the Ispettorato Ripartimentale delle Foreste (Forestry Inspectorate) have tasks of safeguard, protection and development of hydro-geological and forestry resources; these bodies also have the task of supervising and controlling the territory targeted as coming under special restraints in particular with regard to farming, woodlands, and soil use; within the framework of the Region of Sicily, the Inspectorates report directly to the Regional Agriculture and Forestry Department. Moreover, for the safeguard of the urban and architectural heritage of the City of Ragusa, the Region of Sicily has issued specific "Regulations for the

81 Noto and late Baroque of South-Eastern Sicily

Below: rehabilitation and recovery of the buildings of the historic centre of Ibla Scicli: Palazzo Beneventano. and of some neighbourhoods of Ragusa" , which envisage also the creation Detail of an ad hoc facility for executing all the interventions deemed to be suitable and necessary for the safeguard, recovery and valorisation of the heritage of the two historic centres of the town; in particular, Regional Act n° 61 of 11 April 1981, modified by Regional Acts n° 30 of 17 May 1984, and n° 40 of 21 April 1995; financial coverage for the interventions envisaged by the above-mentioned laws has been integrated by Regional Act n° 31 of 7 August 1990. Starting from 1991, financial resources have been made

82 Noto and late Baroque of South-Eastern Sicily

available through an ad hoc item that has been added to the General Budget of the Region of Sicily. Besides these regulations there are also the indications set forth in the "Guidelines of the Regional Landscape Plan" (refer to item 4f).

d.Agengy/agencies with management autority The religious bodies in charge of managing the religious heritage of the Church's property are the Curias of the Dioceses of Caltagirone, Catania, Noto and Ragusa, for the respective territories over which they have jurisdiction. For a more precise identification of the facilities of the individual Bodies the reader is referred to item 4.d of the information sheet on each town. The bodies of the Regional Authorities that have the task of protecting and managing the urban, architectural and monumental heritage are the Superintendencies for Cultural and Environmental Heritage and the Civil Engineering Offices respectively for the territories over which they have competence in the provinces of Catania, Ragusa and Syracuse. For a more precise identification of the offices refer to item 4.d of the information sheet on each town. The bodies of the Local Authorities that have the task of controlling and managing the urban and architectural heritage are the office of the Regional Provinces of Catania , Ragusa and Syracuse for their respective territories of competence and the Municipalities of Caltagirone, Catania, Militello in Val di Catania, Modica, Noto, Palazzolo Acreide, Ragusa and Scicli, as regards the territories and heritage of the individual Municipalities. For a more precise identification of the individual offices the reader is referred to item 4.d of the information sheet on each town. e.Level at which management is exercised (e.g., on site, regional- ly) and name and address of responsible per- son for contact purposes Management and control over the artistic, architectural, urban and environmental heritage are exercised by the following bodies:

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a) as concerns the religious buildings and the works of art they hold, by the Diocesan Curias of Caltagirone, Catania, Noto and Ragusa for their territories of competence (for a more precise identification of the individual Curias refer to item "4.d" of the information sheet on each town). They have the task of providing ordinary maintenance of the architectural structures and of their related works of art. When major works are involved, the Curias inform either the Ministry for Internal Affairs (for the buildings whose ownership can be referred to the FEC - Fund for the Buildings of Worship) or the local authorities that are assigned the task of managing the individual properties, or the local offices of the Superintendency for Cultural and Environmental Heritage, or the technical Services of the Municipalities where the property is located, and in the case of natural disasters or the unexpected need for an emergency intervention for the safe- ty of the buildings, the Curias may inform the local offices of the Civil Engineering Corps; b) at the Regional level: For a more precise identification of the individual offices that are competent by territory the reader is referred to item 4.e of the general description on each town. c) at the local level: 1) by the Regional Provinces of Catania , Ragusa and Syracuse, for the territories over which they have competence; 2) by the Municipalities of Caltagirone, Catania, Militello in Val di Catania, Modica, Noto, Palazzolo Acreide, Ragusa and Scicli as regards the territories and heritage over which the Municipalities have competence. The various Municipalities are endowed with services that are competent for planning, management, control, and maintenance of the territory and of the buildings and for the control and repression of unauthorised building activities. Such Services are structured differently in the various Municipalities in dependence of the size of the territory and number of inhabitants. For a more precise identification of the individual offices that are competent by ter ritory refer to item 4.e of the information sheet on each town. f.Agreed plans related to property (e.g., regional, local plan, conservation plan, tourism development plan) At the regional level the territories in which are located the sites of the var-

84 Noto and late Baroque of South-Eastern Sicily

ious areas proposed for inscription in the WHL come under the various regional plans, to the extent that such regional legislation is applicable to the various territorial sites. In particular, the following list of plans are somehow called into play for the management and protection of the various sites: a) The Regional Economic and Social Development Plan (PRS), defined in Regional Act n° 6/88 provides the guidelines for intervention in the promotion of the industrial, economic and social sectors. The R.A. sets the general criteria for planning at the regional level and the strategies for intervention. The main operational instruments envisaged by the PRS are the "Implementation Projects" (PdA - Progetti di Attuazione), some of which are: 1) the "Internal Areas" PdA, which defines the "territorial entities eli- gible for environmental, historic and artistic rehabilitation", for which interventions are to be aimed at increasing the efficiency of the cultural and social services, at enhancing environmental protection and at recovering the historic and cultural heritage; 2) the "Tourism" PdA, which, while emphasising the need for promoting, enhancing and valorising tourism offerings, it refuses the rationale of the "banal commercial enhancement of the environmental heritage"; 3) the "Cultural Heritage" PdA which highlights the importance of exercising control over the entire cycle of cultural heritage valorisation. b) The Regional Transportation Plan, which contains forecasts relative to the restructuring of the entire transportation system of the Region, with plans to improve and optimise the connections with the main junctions of the island. c) The Regional Guidelines (LG) on Landscape Planning, set the guidelines that have to be complied with in planning at the provincial and local levels; they specify the issues that are being examined and identify 17 regional sub- sections, four of which coincide with the areas proposed for inscription in the WHL. Among the main objectives indicated by the LGs, that are more clearly defined by identifying 4 "strategic intervention axes directly involving the protection and enhancement of the landscape and environment", the following are worth mentioning here: 1) "conservation and qualification of the heritage of historic, archaeological, artistic, cultural and documentary interest"; 2) urban and territorial reorganisation in dependence of the use and enhancement of the landscape and environmental heritage".

85 Noto and late Baroque of South-Eastern Sicily

Among other things, the LGs identify an entity defined as consisting of an "Anthropical system, a settlement sub-system , towns and historic centres"; for the latter, in accordance with evaluation criteria that take into account endogenous and exogenous values and vulnerability, the plan identifies the towns and historic centres whose settlement facilities need to be preserved in that they enhance the historic, urban, and architectural specificities. For the forecast of the Regional Landscape Plan relative to the individual sites refer to item 4. f of the information sheets about each town. At the level of the individual Regional Provinces, Provincial Territorial Plans have been activated, envisaged by R.A. n° 9/86, containing provi-

sions on the main roads and on the facilities of supra-municipal interest. Right: Such Plans identify uniform units of reference within the territory, among Ragusa: Palazzo Cosentini. Detail which are the urban areas.

86 Noto and late Baroque of South-Eastern Sicily

For the forecasts of the various Provincial Territorial Plans relative to the individual sites, where applicable, refer to item 4.f of the information sheets about each town. At the level of the territories of each Municipality the management and area planning instruments envisaged in the national and regional legislation are at work; the number, type and complexity of such instruments depend on the number of inhabitants of each Municipality. The main instruments worth mentioning are: a) town planning instruments (General Municipal Town Plans or Municipal Building Plans, Detailed Recovery Plans, and the Detailed Final Plans), which contain the regulations governing land use; they list out the different types of town planning, building and use-related interventions envisaged for the various parts of the territory, to such a level of detail as to indicate for each building the interventions that are or are not allowed. Such Plans are drawn up in full accordance with the national and regional regulations, taking into account the more general level of planning (regional and supra- municipal) and the various forecasts and indications involving the territory, and in accordance with the provisions contained in the decrees of the other Bodies empowered to protect and exercise control over the territory (Superintendencies on Cultural Heritage, Forestry Inspectorate, Civil Engineering Corps, etc.). In particular, the areas proposed for inscription in the WHL are identified in the various towns as "A" Homogeneous Territorial Zones, Right: or Historic Centre, where the existing urban and architectural heritage can Palazzolo Acreide. St. Sebastian's Church. Detail be submitted only to rehabilitation and maintenance works in full respect

87 Noto and late Baroque of South-Eastern Sicily

for the historic and cultural vocation of each town. Such areas come under more specific and detailed landscape and architectural protection and safeguard restraints. b) The Three Year Public Works Plan; provided for in the existing regional legislation, the Plan contains indications for the various public works to be carried out in the subsequent three-year period, arranged in order of priority and with budget items for each by competence. The Plan also includes the ordinary and extraordinary works for the buildings of greater architectural importance that come under the responsibility of the Municipalities. c) In dependence of the size of the Municipality and by virtue of specific regulations, there are other plans that are already in force or are in the course of being defined that concern the sites proposed for inscription; such plans, which in some cases are already operational while in others they are in the process of being drawn up or approved, are the Urban Traffic Plan, the Alternative Mobility Plan, the Urban Parking Plan, the Fuel Distribution Plan. Considering the variety and specific local features of the various urban contexts, for more thorough information about the content and state of implementation of the individual Plans, please refer to item 4.f of the information sheets about each town. g.Sources and levels of finance The ordinary sources of finance for maintenance, restoration and conservation of the urban and architectural heritage are the respective items in the regional, provincial and municipal budgets. Such sources are part and par- cel of the economic and financial programming documents that are drawn up annually by each Body according to territorial jurisdiction. This includes all the budget items relative to restoration, recovery, extraordinary and ordinary maintenance, and consolidation and acquisition of private property by the State. This source of finance also includes all the sums of money issued to privates in support of recovery and maintenance interventions in the Historic Centres. In accordance with a specific Regional Act, there is an ad hoc annual budget item for interventions aimed at promoting recovery, conservation and enhancement of the urban and architectural heritage of Ibla and Ragusa. Among the sources of special funding, the most important one at this point in time is the source provided for in Act n° 433 of 1991 which, issued immediately after the earthquake of 13 December 1990, allocated the sum of Lit. 2849,000,000,000 (EURO 471,385,786,000) to the earthquake areas for consolidation, restoration and extraordinary maintenance of the buildings of architectural importance. The same law allocated the sum of Lit.

88 Noto and late Baroque of South-Eastern Sicily

At the bottom : 970,000,000,000 (EURO 500,963,192,000) to facilitate restoration, consol- Modica.A view of the city. idation and extraordinary maintenance of privately owned property. Among the other sources of extraordinary sources of finance mention must be made of Act n° 64/1968, n° 449/1987 and L.D. n° 162/1996 that earmarked extraordinary funds for the recovery of the heritage of Noto. In some specific cases sources of finance are envisaged also for the recovery of the minor buildings of Historic Centres, among which the sum of Lit. 31,000,000,000 for the rehabilitation of the minor buildings of the Historic Centre of Caltagirone. Considering the variety and specific local features of the various urban contexts, for more thorough information about the definition of the available types and levels of finance, the reader is referred to item 4.g of the information sheets about each town. h.Sources of expertise and training in conservation and management techniques There are no specific schools in this geographic area for the training of technical staff and of professional experts in rehabilitation and conservation.

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All the technical experts with university degrees operating in the territory either on behalf of the Public Administration or as free lance, with specific functions and skills in recovery, restoration and valorisation of the urban, architectural and landscape heritage, have trained in the various Italian universities. However, recently the University of Catania has set up a School of Architecture in Syracuse, that is to say in the area for which inscription in the WHL has been requested. i.Visitor facilities and statistic

Actions for promoting tourism are carried out at the provincial level by the local sections of the Aziende Autonome Provinciali per l'Incremento Turistico - AAPTT (Provincial Bodies for Promoting Tourism), whose initiatives for promoting tourism activities (including the monitoring of tourist flows) are accomplished through a systematic set of services: a) drafting and production of various publications describing the historic, artistic, cultural, architectural, urban and environmental heritage of the whole of the provincial territory that are made available to tourists and to hospitality and tourism facilities; b) promotion of the tourism and cultural image of the areas by taking part in the tourism-related international exhibitions and by contributing to the mounting of exhibitions and other activities aimed at making known and at enhancing the various territories; c) acting as liaisons with the various companies operating in the hotel and hospitality industry and with the various tour operators. At the local level of extreme importance is the action carried out by the local municipal facilities related to tourism activities that operate by carrying out development and service activities; 1) preparation, printing and dissemination of promotional tourism materials with the indication of the main itineraries for visiting the cultural and landscape heritage; 2) opening and management of tourism information desks; 3) entering into agreements with the operators in the tourism and hospitality sector for joint activities aimed at promoting the cultural, environmental and landscape heritage; 4) preparation of itineraries for guided tours of the towns; 5) completion of the tourism signposts and boards; 6) preparing description sheets also with the aid of computers and multimedia instruments (CD-ROMS, Web pages).

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The following services are made available to tourists and visitors: a) numerous publications of a general nature addressed to tourists, available in various languages and prepared by the Aziende Autonome Provinciali per l'Incremento Turistico and by the various Municipal Tourism Companies, and by various private publishers; b) hotel and hospitality facilities of different levels for an overall amount of 25,000 beds. The distribution of the various hospitality facilities throughout the various parts of the Municipalities varies widely, both in number and type; while there are places like Catania and Ragusa where hotel offerings are quite abundant (respectively 18,000 and over 5,000 beds), on the other hand there are towns with a very small number of hotels like Caltagirone and Modica, where the total number of beds are respectively 153 and 166. c) Many bars and restaurants of different levels all endowed with WCs; d) Many shops and outlets for the distribution, among other things, of typical products of local agriculture, gastronomy and of the local crafts; e) First aid facilities and police stations for emergencies. For a more precise identification of the types and number of hospitality facilities available in the various Municipal territories, the reader is referred to item 4.i of the information sheet on each town.

j. Site management plan and statement of objectives(copy to be annexed) MANAGEMENT PLAN

INTRODUCTION

The current national and regional legislation does not regulate the management plans of individual public assets nor of complexes of property including public and private buildings and monuments. In the case of the application for inscription in the WHL, the preparation of the management plan is made even more difficult by the complex artic- ulation of items proposed, distributed over three provinces that come under a multiplicity of public and private entities. On the other hand this is the distinctive feature of late Baroque architecture in Val di Noto: a great cultural experience generated by the reconstruction effort after the tremen- dous earthquake of 9-11 January 1693; an experience whose typical features are embodied in public, private and religious buildings.

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Since a variety of different entities have had to be involved, and in the absence of precise legislation on the subject, reference needs to be made to the "concertation/consultation" instruments offered by the existing legislation. The EE.LL. regulations, contained in Act 142/90 and subsequent modifications, envisage under Chapter VIII, a variety of forms of collaboration among different bodies. Amongst such forms, those terms "con- ventions" (Article 24) and "consortia" (Article 25) are reserved for the Municipalities and Provinces. Such instruments cannot be used in the case at hand because of the condition that the Region of Sicily be involved. Indeed, it must not be overlooked that, under Article 14 letter n) of the Regional Statute, the Region exercises exclusive powers in such matters as the "safeguard of the landscape, conservation of antiquities and of works of art". Through Act n° 80 of 1.8.1977, the Region has reserved for itself the power to exercise all the functions in the area of Cultural Heritage. As a consequence the Region must necessarily take part in the management plan. Within the framework of the existing legislation, the sole workable instrument is the "accordo di programma" (Program Agreement), regulated by Article 27 of Act. N° 142/90. This regulation sets forth that "with regard to the definition and implementation or works, interventions or comprehensive intervention schemes, which in order to be fully carried out require the integrated and coordinated action of at least two of the following bodies - Municipalities, Provinces, the Region, State Administrations and other public entities - the President of the Province or the Mayor, in dependence of who exercises primary competence over the work or interventions or comprehensive intervention scheme to be implemented, promotes negotiations for agreeing on a program. The request may be submitted even by only one or more of the entities involved. The aim is to ensure coordination of the activities and to be able to set timetables, decide on working methods to be adopted and on fund raising activities and to fulfil any other obligation as may be required".

WORKING METHOD In the light of higher level needs, the administrations will start a series of preliminary meetings aimed at deciding on the contents of the concertation/consultation effort and of its objectives. The next step is the signing of the "program agreement", with the participation of the Region of Sicily, the Superintendencies involved and of the Municipalities of Catania, Ragusa, Modica, Noto, Scicli, Palazzolo Acreide and Caltagirone. A detailed management plan of the sites is drawn up at this stage. Lateral agreements will also be entered into with the church bodies (Dioceses and Parishes) involved in the management of the heritage.

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The burden of starting the concertation/consultation process and of promoting the meetings is taken on by the Regional Department for Cultural and Environmental Heritage through the Superintendency on Cultural and Environmental Heritage of Syracuse, which has been selected to coordinate the candidacy for inscription, through a formal assignment by the Regional Minister for Cultural Heritage. The Municipalities and Superintendencies having jurisdiction over the territory involved immediately set up a Standing Committee with the purpose of solving all the problems that may arise during the consultation stage. The final draft of the management plan will be submitted for public debate and for prior examination by the Municipal Councils, with the aim of receiving useful inputs that may improve the plan and of promoting a broad debate aiming at raising awareness and consciousness about the importance of the inscription in the WHL and about the size of the com- mitment that the local communities have to take on to ensure the conservation and management of this heritage.

ANALYSIS The monuments and the urban contexts proposed for inscription are characterised by the problems shared by all historic properties for which the fragmentation of ownership and the abandonment of historic centres have been the main cause for degradation as a result of the total absence of the most basic forms of ordinary maintenance. In all the selected cases, however, regulatory and financial instruments (special laws, funds for supporting restoration of hotel facilities, rehabilitation plans, etc.) are already at work. Furthermore, the investments for repairing the seismic damage caused by the earthquake of December 1990 have prompted wide-ranging activities for rehabilitating the public and private heritage. At the present time, therefore, the priority need for the centres and monuments that have been selected, is not so much that of rehabilitating individual buildings, which is an activity that is already under way through different channels and methods, but rather the effort required is to insert them into a comprehensive program for the valorisation and enjoyment of the recovered buildings so as to reintegrate marginal urban realities into a flourishing economic process, thus returning such items to the local communities as "resources". It is worth pointing out that, especially for the more significant emergencies such as the monasteries, convents and private buildings belonging to the nobility, that even for the buildings where interventions are being carried out thanks to the availability of the funds and instruments described earlier, one must not neglect the burden represented by the management and maintenance of these large containers that have lost their original.

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functions and features, and that can be met only if programs are developed to attribute new compatible functions to such buildings and hence ensure that they be used. Therefore, the integrated management plan needs to act also as coordinator of the various interventions and arrange or reconcile the objectives that the various promoting Bodies pursue within a unitary framework. The integrated management plan is also the suitable instrument for having a bird's eye-view of the initiatives under way and of the economic resources available so as to be able to evaluate the suggestions for utilisation, and prioritise them within the framework of the territories they belong to.

OBJECTIVES

The plan must pursue the following goals: · Improve the historic knowledge about the sites and individual artistic items as well as raise the level of understanding about the phenomenon as a whole; · Produce a detailed map of the items up for inscription and of the context to which they belong; · Improve the knowledge about individual monuments; · Study the materials and techniques used to produce them; · Select the best criteria for introducing anti-seismic measures, starting with careful study of the means used by the original builders; · Create a monitoring network so as to keep track of the state of conservation; · Develop studies and design proposals for the rehabilitation and conservation of the sites; · Harmonise the use of available resources on the basis of ongoing programs providing economic resources, that are often dispersed in trickles that do not converge; · Involve private entities in the restoration and management activities by creating favourable conditions that facilitate investments; · Activate and manage other financial channels, by drawing on regional, national and Community resources; · Study and implement forms of management of the heritage that are compatible with their conservation, but that are capable of making of them instruments for the social and economic development of the local communities; · Apply the methods of cost-effective management practices conducive to self-funding; · Improve access and make the heritage user-friendly.

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WORKING METHODS

The plan will have to be formulated in a comprehensive manner and present a list of objectives grouped into programs. The interventions will then be implemented through executive highly detailed projects to be carefully examined. In any case they will have to be accompanied by adequate economic and financial schemes in dependence of the uses to be made of the various heritage units.

SUPERVISION

The Program Agreement will have to provide for a Supervisory and Monitoring Committee made up of representatives of the parties to the Agreement. The tasks of the Supervisory Committee will be to: · Monitor the progress of interventions; · Check that they are consistent with the objectives set; · Suggest updates to the Management Plan; · Take appropriate legal action against infringements.

At the local level the management of the various sites is regulated by the provisions of the General Town Plans and by the regulations on the protection of the territory and of the artistic and monumental heritage, contained in the general legislation issued by the Italian State and by the Region of Sicily and defined in detail in the provisions issued by the Regional Department for Cultural and Environmental Heritage and by the provincial sections of the Superintendencies for Cultural and Environmental Heritage.

Specifically for the town of Ragusa there is a Five-Year Plan envisaged by R.A: n° 61/81, drawn up by the Committee for the Rehabilitation of Historic Centres approved by the Municipal Council of the City of Ragusa. The Committee for the Rehabilitation of Historic Centres (CRCS) develops Five-Year Plans (PQ) every five years which set the guidelines for activities to be carried out and prioritise such activities. Implementation occurs through Annual Sub-Plans drawn up on the basis of the forecasts of the PQs and in dependence of the allocations made in the budget. The PQ represents a reference framework for the implementation of R.A: n° 61/81, it sets the aims, the general criteria, the methods, programs and priorities of the rehabilitation activities, ensuring consistency with the works planned and executed in the previous PQs.

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k. Staffing levels As a consequence of the different sizes of the various towns and of the ensuing different ways in which they have operationally structured their local administration units, the technical activities are managed differently in the various local realities. While the Municipal administrations of Catania and Ragusa rely mainly on their own internal technical divisions for drawing up the town-planning instruments and also for preparing and at times implementing the maintenance, restoration and consolidation projects, in other towns these activities are normally outsourced to professionals and firms. The other Administrations (the Regional - Superintendencies and Civil Engineering Corps - and the Provincial administration), while staffed with professionals who do the design work and who supervise the works carried out on artistic and monumental heritage, they do not have working groups to be devoted exclusively to the Historic Centres as their scope of territorial influence is extremely vast. The interventions by the Regional and Provincial Administrations are mostly carried out by business firms through ad hoc tenders.

For a more detailed account of the type of technical structures available in the various Municipal territories, the reader is referred to item 4.k of the general description of each town.

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5. Factors Affecting the Site a.Development Pressures In general in the various areas proposed for inscription there have been no recent significant actions, namely demolition or reconstruction or related to the use of the surrounding territory, that may entail an increase in the pressure exerted on the various historic centres and on their architectural, artistic and environmental heritage. In Catania, for instance, the urban development of the town has long since been directed towards the adjoining municipal territories, at quite some distance therefore from the areas being proposed here. At Ragusa, however, while on the one hand the historic centre of Ibla has remained substantially unscathed protected by the deep valleys surrounding it that have prevented industrial or other types of At the bottom: estates from being built and also by the fact that this part of the town had Catania. Collegiata. Particular. been recognised and protected as Historic Centre as far back as the Master

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Town Plan of 1969, on the other hand, the historic centre of Upper Ragusa has been modified with a number of interventions that have not always been consistent with the principles of conservation of the original building characteristics. Indeed, Upper Ragusa was not included in the Master Town Plan of 1969 and it was submitted to special restraints only with the Regional Act n° 61/81 and then in 1988. Indeed, landscape and environmental constraints were imposed on most of the upper town and on the adjoining areas. The main and common source of pressure and hence of degradation of the historic fabric is not represented by the expansion or transformation of the town, submitted to restraints and protection measures, but rather by the progressive process of decay of the materials that constitute the buildings, caused mainly by a lack of maintenance activities, in turn linked to the poor and incorrect use of this heritage, and sometimes to inappropriate maintenance measures. However, in favour of a general policy for a coordinated rehabilitation of the historic centres of the towns are the provisions contained in the various Master Town Plans some of which are being implemented while others are still in the making, and the ordinary and extraordinary interventions provided for in the recent legislation. Another major source of pressure is car traffic as most of the main administrative offices are located in the historic centres. For a more detailed description of the types and levels of pressure on the various sites the reader is referred to item 5.a of the general description of each town. b.Environmental Pressures The environmental pressure caused mainly by pollution caused by human activities differs from site to site in dependence of size, orographic location, climate and of the types of main activity. In many of the smaller towns, where however the level of pollutants is not systematically meas- ured, there are no major and specific polluting activities except for air pollution caused by traffic that besides is not at all severe, and electromagnet- ic and visual pollution caused by the antennas for telephones and mobile radio equipment. The situation at Ragusa is however different as a consequence of the nearby chemical, industrial and mining activities; the environmental situation is in any case constantly kept under control and only occasionally have values above acceptable limits been recorded. Owing to the intense automobile traffic and to the activities carried out in the nearby industrial estate, in the past in Catania high aerial and noise pollution values were recorded; but as a result of an unrelenting policy against the sources of pollution, the fixed environmental pollution monitoring equipment has been recording overall pollution values that are progressively and steadily decreasing. On the whole, no significant or peculiar climate varia-

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tions have been recorded. For a more detailed description of the type and level of environmental pressure on the various sites the reader is referred to item 5.b in the general description of each town.

c.Natural disasters and preparedness (earthquakes, floods, fires, etc.) The main source of natural pressure on the entire Val di Noto area is the high seismic risk which is a pending risk involving the whole of Eastern Sicily. The area was officially declared to be a Level 2 seismic risk area in M.D. of 23.09.1981 and as a consequence the design of any intervention for rehabilitation and maintenance, as well as for new constructions, must strictly comply with the existing anti-seismic rules. Recent studies based on a comparative statistical analysis of the historic data relative to the seismic events that have occurred in the area during the last five centuries, show that the most frequent seismic intensity to be expected is 4.2-4.8 of the Richter scale, whereas the highest intensity to be expected is 6.4; the seismic activity in this area is mainly characterised by a succession of shocks of average intensity. For Caltagirone and Noto, owing to the geo-mechanical characteristics of the soil and of their progressive degradation caused by weathering agents, there could occur landslides and landslips downstream from the superficial overburden, even in the presence of earthquakes of average intensity. Moreover, the Catania area is exposed to the risk represented by the volcanic eruptions of Mt. Etna that are mainly of the effu- sive type, whereas the explosive and Strombolian type of activity is much more limited. In the various Municipalities, in dependence of the possible seismic and catastrophic events that might occur, and in compliance with the national legislation, Civil Protection Plans have been prepared, which identify the main routes for evacuating the towns, the assembly points and the areas where first aid units are to be set up. Within the territory of Catania, and in the territories of the surrounding municipalities, seismic and volcanic surveillance is exercised by the "Poseidon System" device whose specific tasks are the seismic monitoring of Eastern Sicily, the search for earthquake and eruption precursors and the surveillance of the active volcanoes in the area. In the framework of a general policy for the rehabilitation and enhancement of the architectural and town-planning heritage, a number of interventions have been carried out for the maintenance, restoration and consolidation of buildings and monumental and architectural complexes in compliance with the original construction and building typologies.

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However, there are still a great many buildings and monumental complexes which require major restoration, consolidation and maintenance interventions. For a more specific and detailed description of the possible cause for natural disasters and of the systems required to monitor them, refer to item 5.c of the general description of each town. d. Visitor/tourism pressures The overall number of tourists that visited the area of interest here in 1999 was 2,100,000 plus, with significant and widespread increases over the previous year, and with peaks of +29% in Scicli. Only Noto went against the tide with a 7% decrease. Moreover, the area seems to attract a large number of foreigners who account for a major share of the number of overall tourists, with peaks of 38% out of the total number of visitors to Ragusa. As a result of the nature of the sites and of the buildings and monuments involved, and also for the number and type of visitors, the flows of tourists, targeting not only the historic centres but also the surroundings, the archaeological sites, the natural sites and the beach resorts, do not entail any risks of harming or damaging the historic, artistic, architectural or environmental heritage, and no signs of wear have been noticed, nor temperature or humidity variations, nor disturbance to the residents or dis- ruption of their traditional life style. For more detailed information abut the flow of tourists to the various sites the reader is referred to item 5.d of the general description of each town. e. Number of inhabitants within site, buffer zone In the various areas proposed for inscription in the WHL, there are around 120,000 inhabitants, half of which live in the Historic Centre of Catania. In all the towns the activities that could be potentially harmful for the protection and conservation of the heritage, especially industrial, mining and processing activities as well as potentially harmful crafts activities, are all carried out in areas located at a distance from the areas proposed. All other modification, processing and current activities are carried out under the control of the various Bodies and Offices having the task of supervising and protecting the heritage. For more detailed information about the number of inhabitants living in the areas of the various towns, please refer to item 5.e of the general description of the towns.

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6. Monitoring a.Key indicators for measuring state of conservation

Except for Ragusa, where a widespread study was carried out in 1990 on the seismic vulnerability of the historic centre, in the other centres no systematic control and monitoring campaign of the territory and of the architectural and monumental heritage has been carried out. In general, however, given the nature of the places, of the buildings and of the materials, it is not possible to set a deadline for the completion of rehabilitation and maintenance intervention activities. The latter need to be carried out constantly in time, in particular for the monumental buildings. The monumental heritage is in some cases in sound static conditions thanks to the widespread and continuous campaigns for specific interventions, and hence there is no fear of major damage to the structures of the buildings, unless disasters of exceptional severity were to occur. In other cases the restoration and consolidation interventions for the damages caused by the 1990 earthquake have not been completed yet. Unauthorised interventions in the property of the various Historic Centres are marginal in both typology and number, and they are also on the decrease. For more detailed information about the state of conservation of the various areas in the different towns, please refer to item 6.a of the general description of each town.

b. Administrative arrangements for monitoring property Except for the Municipalities of Catania, Modica and Scicli, where ad hoc units have been set up to monitor and repress unauthorised activities involving the territory and the architectural and monumental heritage, there is no systematic activity in this sense in the other towns. For more detailed information about the setting up of monitoring and repression systems in the various towns, please refer to item 6.b of the general description of each town.

c.Results of previous reporting exercises

Even though a number of specific studies have been carried out on the state of conservation of individual monuments and of portions of the towns, no overall evaluation studies have been made of the state of conservation of the historic, artistic and architectural heritage.

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7. Documentation a.Photographs, slides and, where available, film/video The photographic and video documentation consists of: · n° 319 W/B and colour photographs · n° 210 colour slides · n° 2 videos For a detailed list of the photographic documentation of the various towns, and for obtaining clearance from the authors in order for UNESCO to be allowed to use such material, please refer to item 7.a in the general description of each town. . b.Copies of site management plans and extracts of other plans relevant to the site Guidelines for the Regional Landscape Plan Please refer to the description of the individual towns indicated in item 7 d for the attach- ments relative to each town.

c.Bibliography La bibliogrfia che segue raccoglie le principali pubblicazioni relative alla ricostruzione del Val di Noto dopo il terremoto del 1693. Per più approfonditi riferimenti bibliografici si vedano i punti “7.c” delle schede relative alle singole città. AA. VV., Neotectonics, seismicity and volcanic activity in Northeastern Sicily, Coll. Geol. Aegean Regio, Proceedings, 1977 AA. VV., Storia della Sicilia, Napoli, 1977-1982 AA. VV., Elementi per una carta sismotettonica della Sicilia e della Calabria merid- ionale, Mem. Soc. Geol. It., 1978 AA. VV., La Sicilia nel Settecento, in «Atti del Convegno di studi tenuto a Messina nei giorni 2-4 ottobre 1981», Messina 1986 AA. VV., The Dictionary of Art, London 1996 AGNELLOG., L’architettura barocca in Sicilia, in «Atti del Congresso inter- nazionale di storia dell’Architettura: Barocco Europeo, Barocco Italiano, Barocco Salentino», Lecce 1970, pp. 157-187 AMICOG., L’architetto prattico, voll. 2, Palermo 1726-1750 AMICOV. M., Lexicon Topographicum Siculum, Palermo 1757, poi Catania 1759 e 1760

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AMICOV. M., Storia di Sicilia dal 1556 al 1750, per servire di continuazione a quel- la di Fazello, volgarizzata da Giuseppe Bertini, con note ed aggiunte, Palermo 1836 AMICOV. M., Dizionario topografico della Sicilia (1756), tradotto dal latino ed annotato da Gioacchino Di Marzo, Palermo 1858 Annali del Barocco in Sicilia/1. Studi sulla ricostruzione del Val di Noto dopo il terremoto del 1693, Roma 1994 Annali del Barocco in Sicilia/2. Studi sul Seicento e Settecento in Sicilia e a Malta, Roma 1995 Annali del Barocco in Sicilia/3. Rosario Gagliardi e l’Architettura Barocca in Italia e in Europa, Roma 1996 Annali del Barocco in Sicilia/4. Pompeo Picherali. Architettura e Città fra XVII e XVIII secolo, Roma 1998 ANONIMO, Détail du dernier tremblement de terre de Sicile, in «Le Mercure Galant», Parigi, marzo 1693, p. 248 ANONIMO, Il grande terremoto del 1693, in Aiello S., «Aretusa», II, 24, 13 novembre 1910 ANONIMO, Cronaca di un terremoto, in «N.S.A.», 4, giugno 1969, pp. 101-112 ARGANG. C., Prefazione, in Minissi F., «Aspetti dell’architettura religiosa del Settecento in Sicilia», Roma 1958 AYMARDM. - BRESCH., Problemi di storia dell’insediamento nella Sicilia medievale e moderna 1100- 1800, in «Quaderni storici», nº 24, 1973 AYMARDM., Le città di nuova fondazione in Sicilia, in «Storia d’Italia», Annali VIII, Torino 1985, pp. 405-414 BALSAMOP., Giornale del viaggio fatto in Sicilia e particolarmente nella Contea di Modica, Palermo 1809, Catania 1969 BARATTAM., I terremoti d’Italia, Torino 1901 BARBANOM. S. - COSENTINOM., Il terremoto siciliano dell’11 gennaio 1693, in «Atti del Congresso sul progetto finalizzato di geodinamica», Udine 1982 BARBANOM. S., The Val di Noto earthquake of January 11, 1693, in Postpischl D. (a cura di), «Atlas of isoseismal maps of Italian earthquakes», CNR- PFG, «Quaderni de “La Ricerca Scientifica”», 114, vol. 2A, Roma 1985, pp.48-49 BARONEG., Elites urbane e gerarchie spaziali nella Contea di Modica. Un caso di ricostruzione “policentrica”, in Giarrizzo G. (a cura di), «La Sicilia dei terremoti, lunga durata e dinamiche sociali», Catania 1996, pp. 307-316 BENIGNOF., Le “notizie” dei terremoti nei neoterici siciliani del XVII secolo, in Giarrizzo G. (a cura di), «La Sicilia dei terremoti, lunga durata e dinamiche sociali», Catania 1996, pp. 225-234 BLUNTA., Barocco siciliano, Milano 1968

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BLUNTA., Some uses and misuses of the terms Baroque and Rococo as applied to Architecture, London 1973 BLUNTA. - DESETAC., Architettura e città barocca, Napoli 1978 BOSCARINOS., Studi e rilievi di architettura siciliana, Messina 1961 BOSCARINOS., La ricostruzione delle città demaniali in Sicilia dopo il terremoto del 1693 - Aspetti urbanistici e architettonici, in «L’architettura di Noto - Atti del Simposio», Siracusa 1979, pp. 53-75 BOSCARINOS., Architettura e urbanistica dal Cinquecento al Settecento, in «Storia della Sicilia», vol. V, Napoli 1981 BOSCARINOS., Sicilia barocca. Architettura e città. 1610 - 1760, Roma 1997, III ed. BRANDIC., Rococò e barocchetto, in «L’architettura, cronaca e storia», a. 1955, 2, pp. 217-227 BRUNOP. (a cura di), Sicilia: stato politico e fortificazioni nel Settecento, Messina 1980 BURGOSA., Lettera del P. Alessandro Burgos scritta ad un suo amico che contiene le notizie fin ora avute de’ danni caggionati in Sicilia da Tremuoti a 9 e 11 Gennaio 1693, Palermo 1693, Napoli 1693; poi in Trigilia L., «Il terremoto del 1693 nel Val di Noto: il caso di Palazzolo Acreide. Esperienze e vicende della “ricostruzione”», in Madonna M. L. - Trigilia L. (a cura di), «Barocco mediterraneo - Sicilia Lecce Sardegna Spagna», Roma 1992 CARACCIOLOE., La ricostruzione della Val di Noto dopo il terremoto del 1693, in «Quaderni della Facoltà di Architettura dell’Università di Palermo», 6, 1964, pp. 40-52 CAROCCIC. - MOLLICAE. - PESCIULLESIC., Catania - Indagine sulle tecniche costruttive di una città “antisismica”, in Marino A. (a cura di), «Presidi antisismici nell’architettura storica e monumentale», Roma 2000 CARONIAROBERTIS., L’architettura del Barocco in Sicilia, in «Atti del VII Congresso Nazionale di Storia dell’Architettura», Palermo 1955 CASAMENTOA. - GUIDONIE., Le città ricostruite dopo il terremoto siciliano del 1693. Tecniche e significati delle progettazioni urbane, in «Storia dell’Urbanistica / Sicilia II», Roma 1997 CHASTELA., Notes sur le baroque méridional: l’architecture en Sicile aux XVIIe et XVIIIe siècles, in «Revue des Sciences Humaines», lug.-dic. 1949, pp. 198 e segg. COMANDÉG. B., Idee estetiche e architettura nel barocco siciliano, Palermo 1956 CONSOLOV. - LEONEG., Il barocco in Sicilia. La rinascita del Val di Noto, Milano 1991 CORRENTIS., La Sicilia del Seicento. Società e cultura, Milano 1976 CORRENTIS., La Sicilia del Settecento. Il tramonto dell’isola felice, Catania 1985

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CRINÒS., La carta di Sicilia di Agostino Daidone e notizie di cartografia siciliana tratte dai manoscritti della Biblioteca Comunale di Palermo e della Fardelliana di Trapani, Firenze 1905 DATOG., Pianificazione antisismica per i centri storici, in Sanfilippo E. D. - La Greca P., «Piano e progetto nelle aree a rischio sismico», Roma 1995, pp. 129-136 DELCALLEJOP., Description de l’isle de Sicile et de ses côtes maritimes avec les plans de toutes sus forteresses, 1734 DEMATTEIR., Il terremoto del 1693 in una coeva relazione francese inedita, in A.S.S.O., LIII, 1957, pp. 197-199 DENOND. V., Voyage en Sicile, Parigi 1788 DENOND. V., Settecento italiano - Traduzione del «Voyage en Sicile» di Dominique Vivant Denon, illustrata da centotrenta tavole tratte dal «Voyage pittoresque ou Description des Royanmes de Naples et de Sicile» di Richard de Saint-Non, Palermo- Napoli 1979 DESTEFANOF., Storia della Sicilia dall’ XI al XIX secolo, Roma-Bari 1977 DICARLOE., Viaggiatori stranieri in Sicilia nei secc. XVIII e XIX, Palermo 1964 DICRISTINANATOLIL., Aspetti e momenti dell’architettura Barocca in Sicilia, in «Palladio», 1968 DIMARZOG., Dizionario Topografico della Sicilia di Vito Amico, tradotto dal latino ed annotato dal chierico Gioachino di Marzo, Palermo 1855 DUFOURL., La reconstruction religieuse de la Sicile après le séisme de 1693. Une approche des raports entre histoire urbaine et vie religieuse, in «Melanges de l’Ecole Française de Rome», vol. II, 1981, pp. 525-563 DUFOURL., Histoire urbaine et vie religieuse, in «Melanges de l’Ecole Française de Rome», 1981-82 DUFOURL., Dopo il terremoto del 1693: la ricostruzione della Val di Noto, in «Storia d’Italia - Annali n. 8 - Insediamenti e territorio», Torino 1985 DUFOURL., Atlante storico della Sicilia: le città costiere nella cartografia manoscritta 1500-1823, Palermo 1992 DUFOURL. - HUETB. - RAYMONDH., Urbanistique et societe baroques, Parigi 1977 DUFOURL. - RAYMONDH., Val di Noto. La rinascita dopo il disastro, Catania 1994 FAGIOLOM. - MADONNAM. L., Sicilia. La ristrutturazione del territorio: una Realpolitik feudale, in AA. VV., «S. Leucio. Archeologia, storia, progetti», Milano 1977 FAGIOLOM. - TRIGILIAL.(a cura di), Il barocco in Sicilia tra conoscenza e conservazione, Siracusa 1987

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FALZONEG., Viaggiatori stranieri in Sicilia tra il ‘700 e l’800, Palermo 1963 FIANCHINOC., Caratteri tecnologici della ricostruzione settecentesca nella Sicilia sud- orientale, in «Documenti dell’ I.D.A.U.», nº 7, Catania 1983, pp. 1-107 FIANCHINOC., Le fabbriche barocche. Conoscenza e recupero ambientale del Val di Noto, Noto 1988 FICHERAF., Una città settecentesca, Roma 1925 GALLOC., Il terremoto del 1693 e l’opera di governo del vicario generale Duca di Camastra, in A.S.S., IV, 1975, pp. 3-21 GANGIG., Il Barocco nella Sicilia orientale, Roma 1964 GAVARINIC., La ricostruzione della Cattedrale di Noto, in Marino A. (a cura di), «Presidi antisismici nell’architettura storica e monumentale», Roma 2000 GIANSIRACUSAP., Il Barocco Siciliano - Architettura urbanistica scenografica, Roma 1984 GIANSIRACUSAP., Il barocco minore: documentazione di immagini per una ricerca sul territorio e sull’architettura dell’altipiano Ibleo, Noto 1990 GIARRIZZOG., Appunti per la storia culturale della Sicilia settecentesca, in «Rivista storica italiana», 1967 GIARRIZZOG., Lo immane terremoto tra profezia e scienza, in «Storia della Sicilia», VI, Napoli 1978, pp. 134-144 GIARRIZZOG., La Sicilia dal Viceregno al Regno, in «Storia della Sicilia», Napoli 1978 GIARRIZZOG., Per il barocco in Sicilia, in «Il segno barocco», Siracusa 1981 GIARRIZZOG., Trecento anni dopo, in AA. VV., «Dossier», in «La Sicilia», 9 gennaio 1993 GIARRIZZOG.(a cura di), La Sicilia dei terremoti, lunga durata e dinamiche sociali, Catania 1996 GIUFFRÉA., Note sull’efficacia delle tecnologie storiche in zona sismica, in «Palladio», V, 1990, pp. 127-134 GIUFFRÉM., Utopie urbane nella Sicilia del ‘700, in «Quaderni dell’Istituto di Architettura e Rilievo dei Monumenti», dell’Università di Palermo, 8-9, 1966, pp. 51-129 GIUFFRÉM.(a cura di), Città nuove di Sicilia XV-XIX secolo, Palermo 1979 GIUFFRÉM. - CARDAMONEG., Città nuove di Sicilia XV-XIX secolo, Palermo 1981 GUIDOBONIE., I grandi terremoti della Sicilia orientale. Il Seicento: scienza, società, archivi, in Giarrizzo G. (a cura di), «La Sicilia dei terremoti, lunga durata e dinamiche sociali», Catania 1996, pp.177-198 GUIDONIE., Indicazioni di metodo per lo studio storico-urbanistico dei centri siciliani, in «Atlante di Storia Urbanistica Siciliana», 1, Palermo 1979, pp. 11-31

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GUIDONIE., La ricostruzione dopo i terremoti in Sicilia e in Calabria, in «Storia dell’Arte Italiana», vol. VIII, Torino 1980 GUIDONIMARINOA., Urbanistica e “Ancien Régime” nella Sicilia barocca, in «Storia della città», I, 2, 1977, pp. 3-84 GUIDONIMARINOA., Disegni di fortificazioni siciliane nell’Archivio di Simancas, in «Storia della Città», I, 3, 1977, pp. 50-64 GUIDONIMARINOA., Il rinnovamento urbanistico dopo il terremoto del 1693, in «Storia dell’Arte Italiana», vol. III, Torino 1979, pp. 407-441 HILLERFOTII., Viaggiatori tedeschi nella Sicilia Orientale 1592-1822, Catania 1981 HUETB., La ricostruzione della Val di Noto: un paradigma di spazio urbano barocco, in Nocera G. (a cura di), «Il segno barocco - Testo e metafora di una civiltà», Roma 1983 LIBRANDOV., Aspetti dell’architettura barocca nella Sicilia orientale, Catania 1971 LIBRANDOV., La ricostruzione dopo il terremoto del 1693 e l’architettura del Settecento, in AA. VV. «Caltagirone», Palermo 1977, pp. 176-201 LOJACONOP., La ricostruzione dei centri della Val di Noto dopo il terremoto del 1693, in «Palladio», XIV, I-III, 1964, pp. 59-74 LOJACONOP., La ricostruzione dei centri della Val di Noto dopo il terremoto del 1693, in «Studi in memoria di Gino Chierici», Roma 1965, pp. 255-270 LUCKP. G., De horrendo terrae siculae motu super exorto, Jena 1693 MACKSMITHD., Storia della Sicilia medievale e moderna, Roma - Bari 1983 MADONNAM. L. - TRIGILIAL.(a cura di) , Barocco mediterraneo - Sicilia Lecce Sardegna Spagna, Roma 1992 MARGANIL., Materiali, tecniche e tipi costruttivi della ricostruzione settecentesca nella Sicilia orientale, in Sanfilippo E. D. - La Greca P. (a cura di), «Piano e progetto nelle aree a rischio sismico», Roma 1995, pp. 63-66 MARGANIL. - SALEMIA., Materiali e tecniche costruttive della tradizione siciliana/2, in «Documenti del D.A.U»., Catania 1989 MARIANIV., L’urbanistica nell’età barocca, Firenze 1943 MARINOA. (a cura di), Presidi antisismici nell’architettura storica e monumentale, Roma 2000 MARMONT, Viaggio in Sicilia, Milano 1842 MESSINAL., La ricostruzione dei centri minori nell’altopiano ibleo dopo il 1693, in Giarrizzo G. (a cura di), «La Sicilia dei terremoti, lunga durata e dinamiche sociali», Catania 1996, pp. 317-328 MORINIM., Atlante di Storia dell’urbanistica, Milano 1962 NIFOSÌP. - LEONEG., Mastri e maestri dell’architettura iblea, Ragusa 1985 NOBILEM. R., Architettura religiosa negli Iblei, Siracusa 1990

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NORBERGSCHULZC., L’architettura barocca, Milano 1974 NORBERGSCHULZC., L’architettura tardobarocca, Milano 1976 PROVENZANOI. A. - LOPICCOLOF., La ricostruzione del Val di Noto e città nuove di Sicilia: trasformazioni del paesaggio urbano e rurale, in Sanfilippo E. D. - La Greca P. (a cura di) «Piano e progetto nelle aree a rischio sismico», Roma 1995, pp. 345-347 RANDAZZOG., Le fabbriche barocche della Sicilia sud-orientale: relazioni fra le tecniche costruttive e comportamento statico, in «Documenti dell’ I.D.A.U.», 4, Catania 1990 RAYMONDH., Una praxis barocca: note sulla socialità di un disastro, in Nocera G. (a cura di), «Il segno barocco - Testo e metafora di una civiltà», Roma 1983 RIEDESELVONJ. H., Voyage en Sicile, Losanna 1773 RIZZOPAVONER. M.(a cura di), Horribilis terremotus eventus in die 11 ianuarii 1693, Misterbianco 1994 SANFILIPPOE. D., L’influenza barocca nelle ricostruzioni delle città della Sicilia orientale dopo il terremoto del 1693, in Madonna M. L. - Trigilia L. (a cura di), «Barocco mediterraneo - Sicilia Lecce Sardegna Spagna», Roma 1992 SANFILIPPOE. D. - LAGRECAP.(a cura di), Piano e progetto nelle aree a rischio sismico, Roma 1995 SCIUTOPATTIC., Il tremuoto del 1693: cenno storico, in «La Campana», Catania 1893 SCIUTOPATTIC., Contribuzione allo studio dei terremoti in Sicilia, Catania 1896 SICAP., Storia dell’Urbanistica. Il Settecento, Roma Bari 1976 SICUROF., Atlante di vedute e prospettive, Messina 1768 SITTWELLS., Southern baroque art, Londra 1931 TRIGILIAL., Disegni di fortificazioni siciliane tra XVI e XIX secolo, in Fagiolo M. - Trigilia L. (a cura di), «Il Barocco in Sicilia. Tra conoscenza e conservazione», Siracusa 1987, pp. 145-185 TRIGILIAL., Barocco Mediterraneo: le città degli Iblei sud-orientali, in Mangion G. (a cura di), «Maltese Baroque», Malta 1989 TRIGILIAL., I centri storici del Val di Noto tra conoscenza e conservazione: verso il terzo centenario del 1693, in «Italia Nostra», sezione di Ragusa, Ragusa 1991, pp. 11-15 TRIGILIAL., La città in Sicilia. Degrado e problemi di conservazione, Firenze 1993 TRIGILIAL.(a cura di), 1693 Iliade Funesta. La ricostruzione delle città del Val di Noto, Palermo 1994 TRIGILIAL., Dispositivi “antisismici” nella ricostruzione del Val di Noto dopo il terremoto del 1693, in Marino A. (a cura di), «Presidi antisismici nell’architettura storica e monumentale», Roma 2000

108 Noto and late Baroque of South-Eastern Sicily

ZEPPEGNOL., Sicilia barocca, in «Sicilia», 41, 1964 ZEVIB., Barocco - Illuminismo, Roma 1995

AA.VV. "Militello in Val di Catania" in "Kalòs - luoghi di Sicilia". Supplemento al numero 6 di Kalòs. Novembre-Dicembre 1996, Edizioni Ariete, Palermo d.Address where inventory, records and archives are held Università degli Studi di Catania - Biblioteca Centrale - Piazza Università, 16 - Catania Università degli Studi di Catania - Biblioteca del Dipartimento di Architettura e Urbanistica - Viale Andrea Doria, 6 - Catania Soprintendenza ai Beni Culturali e Ambientali, Via Luigi Sturzo 62, Catania Soprintendenza ai Beni Culturali e Ambientali, Piazza della Libertà, 2, Ragusa Soprintendenza ai Beni Culturali e Ambientali, Piazza Duomo, Siracusa Biblioteca Civica Ursino Recupero - Via Biblioteca - Catania Biblioteca Comunale di Caltagirone - Via S. Maria di Gesù, 90 - Caltagirone Biblioteca Comunale di Modica - Via Mercè - Modica Biblioteca Comunale di Noto - Via Cavour, n. 95 - Noto Biblioteca Civica G. Verga - Via G. Matteotti, 55 - Ragusa Biblioteca Comunale - Via Fiumillo - Scicli Comune di Caltagirone - Ufficio Tecnico - Via Roma, 169 - Caltagirone Comune di Caltagirone - Direzione Musei Civici palazzo Libertini - Volta Libertini, 4 - Caltagirone Comune di Modica - Piazza Principe di Napoli - Modica Comune di Noto - Ufficio Tecnico Comunale - via Francesco Maiore, - Noto Comune di Ragusa - Ufficio Tecnico Operativo - Piazza Pola, 5a - Ragusa Comune di Scicli - Piazza Municipio, 2 - Scicli e.Other Schede relative alle singole città, con i relativi allegati di seguito indicati: Caltagirone - Piano Regolatore Generale Comunale - Piano Triennale delle Opere Pubbliche 2000-2002 - Schede descrittive dei principali edifici civili e religiosi

109 Noto and late Baroque of South-Eastern Sicily

Catania - Schede descrittive dei principali edifici civili e religiosi Modica - Piano Regolatore Generale Comunale - Schede descrittive dei principali edifici civili e religiosi Noto - Schede descrittive dei principali edifici civili e religiosi - Palazzolo Acreide Ragusa - Piano Territoriale Provinciale (PTP) - Piano Regolatore Generale (PRG) - 1969 - Piano Urbano del Traffico (PUT) - Piano della Mobilità Alternativa (PMA) - Piano Triennale delle Opere Pubbliche 1997-99 (PT) - Piano Quinquennale della Commissione per il Risanamento dei Centri Storici (PQ) - Schede descrittive dei principali edifici civili e religiosi Scicli - Schede descrittive dei principali edifici civili e religiosi

110 Noto and late Baroque of South-Eastern Sicily

8.Signature on behalf of the State Party

111

Nomination for the inscription on the World’s Heritage List UNESCO

THE REBUILDING OF VAL DI NOTO IN THE LATE BAROQUE PERIOD (South-east Sicily)

ENCLOSURES TO LETTER DATED 27/12/2001 PROTOCOL REF. NO. 9000/06.01.78.3

INDEX

Encl. 1 Siracusa’s Superintendency of Cultural and Environmental Assets Note (Italian and English versions)

Encl. 2 Document related to the Revised Structure of the Site

Encl. 3 Document related to the Management Plan

Encl. 4 Electronic copy

ENCLOSURE N° 1

SIRACUSA’S SUPERINTENDENCY OF CULTURAL AND ENVIRONMENTAL ASSETS NOTE (ITALIAN AND ENGLISH VERSIONS)

To: The UNESCO Working Group Roma

To: The Ministry of Cultural Assets Rome

cc: Regional Council of Cultural Assets Palermo

Subj: World’s Heritage List. Forecasts and additional notes to the nomination of Val di Noto.

Following the request of the World Heritage Centre, we would like to inform you that this Office has drawn up a shared management plan as per the signed agreement reached with the Mayors of the interested municipal districts.

Therefore, a working group has been set up in charge of providing support to local Governments insofar as the following is concerned:

- The writing of a technical document - Co-ordinating the various public and private entities involved in promoting the site.

As a result, a preliminary document detailing the contents and modus operandi of the management plan has been drawn up.

In order to be able to meet the target, also shared by the Government, of improving the site an agreement has been signed between the Government and the Region, a copy of which is enclosed.

Please find also enclosed a revised document that better outlines the nature and structure of the nomination.

On the basis of the changes made to the original nomination, we would like to propose a more appropriate title, namely:

The Rebuilding of The Val di Noto in The Late Baroque Period (South-east Sicily)

Yours faithfully,

The Head of the Cultural Assets The Head of the Architectural, Regional Office Natural, Environmental, Landscape and Urban Properties Department

(Dott. G. Voza) (Arch. M. Muti) AGREEMENT BETWEEN THE MINISTRY OF CULTURAL ASSETS AND SICILY’S CULTURAL ASSETS REGIONAL COUNCIL

ON THE METHOD TO BE USED IN DRAWING UP AND IMPLEMENTING A MANAGEMENT PLAN FOR THE SITE

The Rebuilding of the Val di Noto in the Late Baroque Period (South-east Sicily) Nominated for inscription on UNESCO’s World’s Heritage List.

In view of the Convention for the protection of the world’s natural and cultural heritage (Paris, 16 November 1972);

In view of the Royal law decree dated 15 May, 1946 No. 455 approving the Sicily’s regional statute, dated the President’s decree dated 30 July, 1950 No. 878 on the rules governing the implementation dated Sicily’s regional statute with regards to public works, and of the President’s decree dated 30 August, 1975 No. 637 on the rules governing the implementation of Sicily’s regional statute with regards to the protection of the environment, antique relics and of fine arts;

In view of the Ministry of Cultural and Environmental Assets decree dated 15 October, 1997 regarding the setting up of a permanent Working Group in charge of coordinating all requests arising from the Convention for the protection of the world’s natural and cultural heritage (UNESCO World’s Heritage List permanent working group);

In view of the law decree dated 20 October, 1998 No. 368 establishing the Ministry of Cultural Assets in accordance with art. 11 of law No. 59 dated 15 March, 1997;

In view of the law decree dated 29 October, 1999 No. 490 detailing all law provisions relating to cultural and environmental properties, in accordance with art. 1 of 8 October, 1977 law;

In view of the regional law dated 1 August, 1977 No. 80 detailing the rules governing the protection, promotion and social use of cultural and environmental properties within Sicily and the regional law dated 7 November, 1980 No. 116;

In view of the proxy bestowed on the Hon. Undersecretary Nicola Bono by the Hon. Minister Giuliano Urbani to act on behalf of the Ministry of Cultural Assets with regards to all activities and initiatives falling within its competence and relating to the nomination of the site called The Rebuilding of Val di Noto in the Late Baroque Period (South-east Sicily) for inscription on the World’s Heritage List;

Considering that in June 2000 Italy submitted to UNESCO’s World’s Heritage Centre the nomination of the site called Noto and the Late Baroque Period in South-east Sicily, thereafter called The Rebuilding of Val di Noto in the Late Baroque Period (South-east Sicily);

Considering that, following the submission of the nomination, the World’s Heritage Committee and Bureau during the meeting held in Paris in June 2001 decided to postpone the review of the nomination, asking the Italian Government to revise the nature, magnitude and structure of the proposed inscription and subsequently resubmit the document with enclosed a suitable management plan;

Considering that one of the essential requirements necessary for the inscription on the World’s Heritage List is the inclusion of a suitable management plan and considering that the current legislation governing the city and district planning and the protection of cultural and environmental properties does not provide for anything that could be considered a management plan;

Considering that Sicily’s Cultural Assets Regional Council, the interested Superintendence Provincial Offices of the region and local councils have already signed a Program Agreement on 18 February, 2001 as the best way to elaborate a management plan and thus satisfy the necessary criteria for obtaining the inscription on the World’s Heritage List;

Considering that the above mentioned local councils, together with the above mentioned Program Agreement, have established a permanent consultation group in order to carry out the scheduled management plan;

Considering that UNESCO World’s Heritage List permanent working group has, amongst others, the responsibility of ensuring the timeliness and effectiveness of the documentation required for the inscription of national properties and sites on the World’s Heritage List (as per the above mentioned decree) and furthermore the task of following up the inscriptions, including contacts with the various local authorities, and coordinate the monitoring activities;

CONCUR AS FOLLOWS:

Art. 1

The Ministry of Cultural Assets, represented by the UNESCO World’s Heritage List permanent working group, and Sicily’s Cultural Assets Regional Council will collaborate on the drafting and implementation of a management plan for The Rebuilding of Val di Noto in the Late Baroque Period (South-east Sicily) site necessary for its inscription on UNESCO’s World’s Heritage List.

Art. 2

The main goal of this collaboration is to identify the most effective way, within the boundaries of the legislation currently in force, of making all the interested local councils work together and ensure their coordination so as to avoid any overlapping and duplication of operations and wasting of resources, which could possibly be caused by the numerous entities in charge of managing the properties submitted for inscription, either singularly or in clusters. The parties should also jointly identify the method and, therefore, lay the groundwork and implement the management plan. The latter can be viewed as being a technical guide that can provide action guidelines to the numerous interested parties, a framework for preserving the heritage and increasing the cultural awareness and economic value of the site submitted for UNESCO’s approval.

Art. 3

In order to meet the above mentioned goals, the Ministry of Cultural Assets and Sicily’s Cultural Assets Regional Council can also involve other parties, both at an international or national level, operating in those fields closely connected with the management of cultural heritage or of historical centers.

Art. 4

Insofar as the implementation of the agreement is concerned, the Ministry of Cultural Assets and Sicily’s Cultural Assets Regional Council will agree on a joint working schedule. This agreement does not involve any financial onus on the contracting parties.

Ministry of Cultural Assets Sicily’s Cultural Assets The Undersecretary of State Regional Council (Hon. Nicola Bono) (Hon. Fabio Granata) ENCLOSURE N° 2

DOCUMENT RELATED TO THE REVISED STRUCTURE OF THE SITE

These notes are meant to provide a more detailed explanation as to the nature and structure of the nomination of the late Baroque properties located in Southeast Sicily, as requested by UNESCO.

The first task of this document is therefore to place the sites and monuments proposed for listing within the wider cultural and geographical framework of the Noto’s Valley, hereinafter referred to as Val di Noto. Consequently the title of the nomination can be better expressed as being:

The Rebuilding of The Val di Noto in The Late Baroque Period

The purpose of this title is to highlight the importance and magnitude of the rebuilding of the cities in the ancient Val di Noto following the aftermath of the earthquake. This last event is responsible for the layout and Baroque features of the cities in the Southeast of Sicily.

The second task of this document is to better explain the structure of the nomination by specifying which are the three historical sites put forward for listing and which are the urban centres or simply the monuments also chosen for inscription in the list. The result is a more detailed nomination that is also better suited to the cultural and urban complexity of the Val di Noto.

1. In ancient times, the area called Val di Noto covered one of the three regions into which Sicily was divided, namely the Southeasterly area of the island. Nowdays, it includes the districts of Siracusa, Ragusa and Catania, the latter being on the border between the Val di Noto and the Val Demone. Following the 1693 earthquake, one of the most devastating ever to have hit Sicily over the centuries, the Val di Noto had to be rebuilt from scratch, a totally unprecedented event. Reports of the time and official documents of the ruling Spanish Government talk about thousands of victims (up to 93,000 dead) and the destruction of nearly 60 cities, some of which were completely razed to the ground while others were severely damaged or partly destroyed (please refer to the attached list of damaged and rebuilt cities). These data help to explain how the ancient Val di Noto had rapidly become the greatest building site in Sicily’s history and also, on the basis of what we know, the greatest laboratory of Baroque urban development. Similar events of destruction and rebuilding such as those experienced by Lisbon or Messina have resulted in the rebirth of single entities, but the reconstruction taking place after 1693 in Val di Noto, to which one should add an analysis of the similar event which took place in Malta as a consequence of the same earthquake to get the complete the picture, reached such proportions that has to be considered as a unique event, comparable to the rebuilding of Calabria after 1783 but with entirely different architectural and urban results. Histography is forever questioning the ways and the reasons behind such an event which – apart from being an opportunity triggered by the earthquake – represents a turning point for Sicily’s history in relations to the shaping of its urban development. There was in fact a total break from the way a city was designed in the past, with a widespread need to modernise the urban architecture incorporating anti-seismic parameters. As a consequence of the earthquake, Val di Noto experienced a diversification of urban settlements giving each city a sort of uniqueness tempered by a common cultural, political and social background. The locals’ reactions and comebacks especially from the new ruling urban classes, brought about an interesting phenomenon of architectural and urban renewal on a grand scale, which would have otherwise been unthinkable. Several studies on the subject have now made it clear that the Baroque “explosion” in Val di Noto is due to the numerous cities that had to be completely rebuilt and also by the variety of the local mutations and by the numerous different ways of manifesting the drive towards a more modern urban system that can be found in the region. This phenomenon was so widespread that it has had the effect of reshaping the identity of nearly the whole of Sicily’s South-eastern region. The major drive towards a new type of urban layout following the earthquake resulted, amongst other things, in the discovery of new interpreting horizons, thus overcoming the old-fashioned ideas of the foreign ruling invaders on how to make use of the Sicilian, or more generally Southern Italy’s, landscape. The solutions offered as a reaction to the catastrophe are of extremely high architectural quality as well as an expression of strong economic coordination between the various social groups that seems to have no comparison elsewhere. The high level of creativity shown brings to the fore the way in which a “remote power” can set architecture free from the old archetypes and allow freedom of expression. The authenticity of style nowadays recognised to the Sicilian Baroque compared to other forms of the same style elsewhere in the world is based on the above considerations, which also helps to explain the extraordinary wealth of urban and architectural expressions that have found their way in the reconstruction taking place after the earthquake. A diversity that is certainly at the heart of the links and networks weaved between different artistic environments, often considered as distant “universes” if not entirely separate: Rome, Naples, Spain are fundamental reference points for any study on the Baroque architecture and urban planning in Sicily, that however have all contributed in different ways and thus the final result is removed from all previous archetypes. The uniqueness and originality of the Baroque present in Val di Noto derives from this complicated and masterly mix and in the closed loop of cultural exchanges and cross-references between Rome and Europe and between the latters and more peripheral regions. The central role played by Rome as capital of the Catholic world and driving force of the Baroque style in Italy was on the main passed directly on to the Sicilian main players through their apprenticeships in the schools or workshops of the roman masters or alternatively through the widespread availability throughout the world of essays and etchings, as can be seen from the apprenticeship and refinement of Sicily’s artisans and master builders. They were in fact not only in charge of the works but sometimes also responsible for the actual lay-out. The study and the importance given to the past, in particular to ancient Rome, have had a great deal of influence on the work and apprenticeship of great masters such as Rosario Gagliardi, known as the architect of Noto and of its valley, whose experience is based on the thorough knowledge of the linguistic codes of the Renaissance and the Baroque, albeit incorporating them into his work with a great deal of autonomy and freedom of interpretation. Amongst other things, Gagliardi is known as the author of the façade-a-la Sicilian tower, that is the front of the building is developed height-wise and incorporates the belfry, an innovation that makes him comparable in terms of sensitivity to great Austrian artists such as Fischer Von Erlach or Lucas Von Hildebrandt and others working in Saxony such as Gaetano Chiaveri. The similarities between St. George in Ragusa, St. George in Modica and the Hofkirche in Dresden leave us in no doubt that there must have been a direct influence. Gaetano Chiaveri’s drawings for the building of the Hofkirche in Dresden became known in Italy through the printing of Lorenzo Zucchi’s etchings, a publication also well known at Naples court. Powerful government intervention and strong organisational ability filtered through particular and complicated mediations are the essential conditions to end up with highly creative results and become a most effective reaction to the effects of an earthquake. The decisions taken in relations to urban development following the 1693 earthquake are the product of a difficult and excruciating story whose main characters succeed in the end in transforming a calamity into an opportunity, by taking part in the making of spectacular and daring changes to the urban landscape. This way Sicily’s South-eastern region was transformed in a unique experience in the field of international Baroque architecture, whose main characteristic is the great number of towns that had to be rebuilt or repaired at any one time and hence in the same artistic style. Such a trait makes the heritage of Val di Noto truly authentic. Due to the short time in which it took place and the choices and cultural patterns that it represents, the rebuilding can be considered as evidence both of the Baroque urban development as well as of the society of the time. It is equally important to underline that a great deal of the innovations incorporated in the buildings built after the earthquake in the Val di Noto’s area can be linked to the beginnings of an anti-seismic culture. Recent studies on the process of rebuilding have brought to light a so far undisclosed aspect of Sicily’s rebirth that is extremely important from the conservation and seismic risk prevention points of view. A large number of cities and monuments rebuilt or restored during the same period of time and with similar criteria represent a unique event in the history of the world’s and Italy’s building industry. Clearly each reconstruction had represented both a turning point in redesigning the city as well as the need to incorporate more modern, anti-seismic criteria. Below is a brief summary of some of the first mechanisms adopted during Sicily’s reconstruction, which turn this event into an international reference point vis-a-vis other successive earthquakes: - The different ratio between the height of buildings and the width of the roads immediately adopted after the 1693 earthquake; - The inclusion of large squares, reflecting a need to incorporate escape routes within the limited space offered by the narrow streets of the old urban matrix, as the narrowness of the streets had been the main cause of death according to the experts of the time; - The widespread use of false vaults (called “incannucciate”) in the historical buildings of Val di Noto; - The use of thicker walls. These and other building tricks-of-the-trade are indicative of the degree of awareness reached by the architects and labour force of the time. Even the complete move to a more secure site, partly carried out for the cities that had been most hit and a most complex aspect of any reconstruction, can be seen as a radical departure from the medieval town planning which was considered as unsafe in the event of other earthquakes. All the above leads us to ponder on the history and the role played by the building sites (estimated to be over one thousand insofar as religious buildings were concerned) in the 1693 aftermath. While on the one side these sites can be seen as a move towards updating the urban architecture to the latest Baroque style, on the other they also represented the first step towards incorporating the first but fundamental anti-seismic features and hence towards risk prevention. In actual fact, after the Sicilian tragedy, the first essential building regulations were introduced as a consequence of the increased architectural awareness. In the case of Catania, these have been recorded as instructions or rules in official documents, while in the other cases it was acquired know-how gained by having lived through the earthquake. In brief, after the earthquake in Sicily there was a move towards researching the effects provoked by an earthquake in order to develop new and more secure building techniques. However, only after the 1755 earthquake that destroyed Lisbon, more than half a century after the Sicilian one, will the first building blocks of modern anti-seismic engineering be laid.

2. As a necessary premise to the reasons behind the proposed inscription on the World’s Heritage List of the group of towns, monuments and urban areas located in Val di Noto we would like to stress that the nominations refer to particularly representative examples of a much wider and complex reconstruction process, as already mentioned in the main document. The latter took place following a variety of methods which we have tried to summarise through the chosen nominations. The majority of the towns were rebuilt on the same original site, others were founded anew on a site different from the original one (ex-novo), some others were built close to the original town therefore founding new towns bordering the pre-earthquake ones, while others still were moved to neighbouring areas, sometimes already partially built among the damaged towns and boroughs, some were the property of the kingdom of Naples while others belonged to big landowners. Different solutions were adopted as the number of victims and of destroyed buildings were clustered in a random pattern. Therefore, although the reconstruction was a large scale phenomenon it can only be examined on a case by case basis. However, as it was clearly impossible to analyse and nominate about 60 different towns, our choice has been dictated by the need to select the most representative examples of a more widespread event. The examples, and therefore the nominations proposed for inscription on the list, have been grouped according to three categories: town, urban areas (streets and squares) and monuments.

Cities

Caltagirone

The urban matrix of Caltagirone has been chosen as representative of the continuity that can be seen in some of the towns in Val di Noto, despite the various earthquakes. Although partly modified after the 1693 earthquake, Caltagirone has managed to keep almost intact the medieval layout built around the seventeenth century crux viarum. Of the two main axis that characterise the cross of streets, the most important one in terms of space is the one going north/south at the centre of which we find the Santa Maria del Monte flight of stairs. This axis is a truly magnificent example of the whole of Caltagirone urban planning, with its extraordinary development height-wise being further underlined by the Baroque style façades.

Noto

The town of Noto has been selected as the most representative example of urban dwellings entirely built after the earthquake. The whole of the town dates back to late Baroque era, and was rebuilt from scratch in a very short period and hence following the style of the time on a site different from the original one, which had been abandoned by its inhabitants. It is a very rare example of a town planned as a unit and whose plan can be attributed to the great architect and Jesuit engineer Angelo Italia.

Ragusa

Ragusa has been nominated as the best representative of the dual nature of an urban development: that of Ibla, composed of successive adjustments carried out on its ancient site on the hill, and that of Ragusa, founded anew after 1693. The latter was a rare example of the new town planning, with a visibile geometric matrix that went back to the drawings of the urban dwellings being built in the colonies of Latin America. Ragusa is therefore the best example of the division of a town into two as a consequence of the earthquake. Urban Areas: Streets and Squares

Catania

The urban areas of Catania (Piazza Duomo, via dei Crociferi and neighbouring streets) have been chosen as representative of the entire reconstruction of the city that had taken place after the 1693 earthquake. It is one of the best examples of a town entirely rebuilt from scratch on the same original site. From a typological point of view, Catania’s quality comes mainly from the novelty of its plan, conceived in a coherent way on a orthogonal matrix, but onto which wide main streets are grafted that seem to ignore the orthogonal rules. Towards the town centre, such majestic straight roads lead unexpectedly into a series of squares, each one following a different geometrical pattern. Catania’s mapping, due to its features, can also be considered a the most representative example of the anti-sismic techniques adopted after the 1693 earthquake which were expressly quoted in documents issued by the town Senate.

Scicli

The ancient Via del Corso in Scicli has been nominated as the most representative example of urban drifting. In this instance, the original town was moved from the hill to the plain below. As a town where nature and architecture become one, Scicli’s configuration starts from the fortress at the top of the hill of St. Matthew, runs down the slopes and reaches the plain where it then develops with unique characteristics: the town is set as a jewel across three stream canyons (the streams running through Modica, Santa Maria La Nova and San Bartolomeo respectively).

Town Monuments

The Churches of St. George and of St. Peter (Modica)

The Church of St. George and that of St. Peter in Modica have been nominated since they are unanimously recognised by historians as the most representative architectural examples of the reconstruction period, the end product of the advanced technical expertise acquired by the architects and builders of the time. Undoubtedly, these had been influenced by architectural patterns stemming from the contemporary architecture in vogue in Central Europe whose etchings were collected in books and widely available. The culture of the project and that of the building site are inextricably intertwined in these two monuments. The Churches of St. George, with its impressive Sicilian style tower façade (see above) and St. Peter, livened up by the statues of the twelve Apostles, become by virtue of their size and their being positioned on top of a wide flight of steps the most prominent monuments of the landscape, and immensely valuable from an architectural, sculptural and environmental point of view.

The Churches of St. Sebastian and St. Peter and Paul in Palazzolo Acreide

The two churches in Palazzolo Acreide are particularly representative of the wealth and power carried by the local confraternities, considered as the driving force behind most of the reconstruction of religious buildings destroyed by the earthquake not only in Palazzolo but throughout the entire Val di Noto area. Through their own rectors and officers, the confraternities pledged petitions and constantly mediated with the Siracusa diocese to obtain licences for repairing and restoring the damaged buildings. By administering considerable sums of money, the confraternities managed to extend their control over the areas controlled by the churches and the relative boroughs.

The Churches of St. Nicolò and St Maria della Stella in Militello

The two churches in Militello have been chosen as representative of the continuity in the building traditions maintained by the local builders in a settlement area that is one of the primary examples of the power exercised by the big landowners. Militello is one of the settlements that had been completely destroyed and was under the jurisdiction of the Branciforte family. It is worth noting that the enlightened prince Francesco Branciforte was responsible for the new town layout prior to 1693, and that was maintained in the reconstruction carried out after the earthquake.

List of the settlements damaged or destroyed by the 1693 earthquake as per documents written at the time.

(the list includes the towns and boroughs located in Val Demone and Val di Mazzara)

Acireale Aderno Aiace Aidone Augusta Avola Belloverde Biscari Bonaccorsi Borello Brucoli Buccheri Buscemi Calatabiano Caltagirone Carlentini Caronia Casali Cassaro Castiglione Catania Chiaramonte Comiso Felicomeda Fenicia Moncada (Belpasso) Ferla Floridia La Forza Francofonte La Gadena Giarratana Girgenti Lentini Licata Licodia Linguaglossa Mascali Mascari Melilli Messina Militello Mineo Monterosso La Motta Naro Nicolosi Nicosia Niscemi Noto Occhiola (Grammichele) Palagonia Palazzolo Palermo Patania Paternò Pedara La Pira La Prage La Punta Ragusa Randazzo S. Antonio S. Croce S. Filippo S. Giovanni Galermo S. Gregorio S. Lucia Scicli Scordia Siracusa Sortino Spaccaforno Taormina Terranova Il Trapico Tre Castagni Tre Mestieri Torre di Grillo Troina Viagrande Vittoria Vizzini

ENCLOSURE N° 3

DOCUMENT RELATED TO THE MANAGEMENT PLAN

Val di Noto Management Plan: Targets and Structure

The management plan for the protection and use of the Val di Noto follows the guidelines set by the Agreement signed by those responsible for its protection, namely the Ministry of Cultural Properties and Activities and Sicily’s Administrative Council for the Environmental Cultural Heritage and Education. On 8 November, 2001 during a meeting held in Siracusa, the same guidelines have been adopted by all the administrators (curators) of the Boroughs on whose territory are properties nominated for inscription on the World’s Heritage List. During this meeting, a Commission made by a panel of experts was set up and put in charge of drafting the management plan according to the above mentioned guidelines and on the basis of the following principles.

Starting from the properties put forward for inscription in the World’s Heritage List – which have been chosen on the basis of historical and cultural criteria – the Plan will set out the strategies that need to be implemented to resolve the conflicts arising from the need to protect, preserve and at the same time promote the above mentioned properties. In other words, whereas on the one side we need to preserve the assets for future generations, on the other we need to allow present generations to make use of them so as to develop these properties both from an economic and cultural point of view.

The Plan’s main goal is to further integrate the conservation and the value-added functions pertaining to the management of the properties and the surrounding environment . To this end, the Management Plan intends to: −= Help change the scope of the process of enhancing the properties’ value and consequently increase both its broad and its specific objectives; −= Redefine the decision-making processes insofar as both the protected properties and the surrounding environment are concerned.

The property enhancement process will have to encompass another objective on top of its more traditional ones: the support of local development. Clearly so far this last target has not been part of the more traditional goals set to increase the value of cultural resources. Conservation and education, including the effort of building a collective identity, have so far been the principal goals of those in charge of the assets protection. Besides, some stakeholders (such as a great number of scholars and cultural associations) still believe that these objectives should still be the main ones. However, it is also true that other stakeholders (mainly the local communities and politicians, but also the educational world) believe that the economic values generated by the process of adding value should not be underestimated both in terms of their relevance and of their potential contribution to a better conservation of the resources themselves.

Insofar as the decision making processes are concerned, the aim is to update the management structures and the operating and strategic functions. The changes are necessary both to increase the weight and the efficiency of the traditional management functions and to assign additional functions relating to the new “local development” target to those responsible for the protection of the resources. Furthermore, the strategies and management tools used to administer the area and the local economic systems need to be brought up to date so as to allow the effects of the value-adding process to filter through and to allow new players (such as business enterprises and local groups) to participate in the planning and implementation of a different development model, based on the exploitation of the area’s cultural resources.

In order to support local development, the value-adding process needs to be firmly integrated with those infrastructures, available manpower and equipment which act as local points of reference. Further integration can be achieved by setting a common goal that can be outlined as follows: to involve all players in the creation of a network, limited by area, whose central node will necessarily be the process of adding value to the cultural resources.

Therefore, the Val di Noto Management Plan intends to create a network system leveraging on the process of promoting those cultural resources inscribed in the World’s Heritage List and which includes several other nodes representing the following activities: 1) The promotion of all of the area’s resources (environmental properties, cultural events and examples of both the local tangible and intangible culture); 2) The area infrastructures (transport systems, leisure activities etc) 3) The hotels and tourists infrastructures plus those business enterprises directly contributing to promoting the cultural resources.

Each single node will be part of an integrated network system and therefore will have to be directly connected to the process of promoting the resources but at the same time also be connected with one or more network nodes. Clearly, the more the system is integrated the greater will the economic benefits be. To make things simpler we will hereafter refer to this network system as cultural industry.

At this point, it is now possible to specify in detail the components of the cultural industry centred on the exploitation of Val di Noto cultural resources, namely: a) Those resources which are part of the process of adding value either singularly or as part of a system; b) The area other resources ranging from the environmental and historical heritage to all forms of local cultural traditions capable of supporting the value-added process and benefit from it; c) Those firms that notwithstanding the industrial sector they belong to, are: c.1) suppliers of inputs required by the value-added process, such as those specialising in restoration or those providing tourist guides; c.2) suppliers of those services needed to take advantage of the results of the value-added process (for example, hotels and guest houses for outside visitors); c.3) users of the outputs generated by the value-added process such as, for example, multimedia companies. d) The area infrastructures needed to start up the process of adding value or to make the end products of this process available to visitors (such as network services, accessibility etc.) e) Other local infrastructures (theatres, sport facilities etc) the use of which could benefit from the activities generated by promoting the cultural resources and vice versa.

The cultural industry that is going to be generated can be further divided into four sub-systems which should be firstly integrated vertically and subsequently horizontally. Namely: 1) The first sub-system is formed by integrating the processes of adding value to historical, cultural and environmental resources located in the area. That is to say, while working on promoting the resources nominated for inscription on the World’s Heritage List, we also need to promote the local environmental resources (nature reserves and parks, historical gardens, etc); cultural traditions (fetes, local cuisine, etc); local produce (wines, cheeses, etc) and the very organisation of local events such as fetes, festivals and exhibitions so as not to make these resources substitutes for one another; 2) The second sub-system is formed by integrating accessibility and leisure services both with one another and with the process of enhancing the value of the resources. For example, the offer of transport services (both on a local and wider area) should be co-ordinated with the offer of services of leisure and sport activities (cinemas, theatres, swimming pools, tennis courts, etc). At the same time, the offer of such services should be coherent with the strategy adopted to promote the cultural properties. For example, transport services (routes, frequency, quality of vehicles used, etc) should be co-ordinated with leisure infrastructures (cinemas, theatres, etc) and both should be further synchronised with the process of promoting the assets, museums or exhibitions. 3) The third sub-system consists in the services linked to the tourist industry such as hotels, bars, restaurants, shops etc. In this instance the effort should be to integrate these services in terms of quality standards. That is to say, this sub- system should generate services linked to the tourist industry capable in terms of quality and quantity of matching the demand that we intend to generate by the process of promoting the cultural resources of the area; 4) The fourth sub-system is composed by those business enterprises connected to the process of promoting the properties both in terms of suppliers and as end- users. The firms in question are likely to belong to several sectors, such as crafts or agriculture or media or restoration work, and must be able to produce and sell goods and services to the process of promoting the cultural resources and its direct or indirect users. These firms’ output must incorporate, in terms of quality and origin, the distinctive marks of the resources that need to be valued. In other words, the quality of the resources needs to be reflected in the characteristics of the firms’ output so that their products can be distinguished from others on the basis of a “trademark” identifying all the local products.

The process of promoting Val di Noto’s cultural resources can give rise to a variety of outputs capable in turn of satisfying a variety of demands. The process primary output is conservation of the very resource as this has to remain available for future generations to enjoy. As the resource has to be available both materially and culturally, the other fundamental output is the production of cultural services. That is to say, those services enabling the enjoyment of the cultural heritage tangibly and intangibly . These services main characteristic is their dual nature: on the one side, they can be thought of as personal services, their target being the tourist/visitor who utilises them directly; on the other, these services can also be utilised remotely, as, for example, photographs on a web-site or magazine, etc. Generally speaking, the production of cultural services – which can be in turn further categorised according to their targeted end users (educational, research, training, information etc) – is a common objective of the process of promoting cultural resources, and is usually associated to the one of conservation. In actual fact, the production of these services simultaneously creates other products which, if not used and made known, can be considered as the “remnants” of the cultural production process.

The list of these other outputs can be approximately summarised as follows: 1) Production of environmental quality. The availability and improvement of the environmental quality relies not so much on the quantity and quality of the resource owned by an area, but on the way its management process is handled. 2) Production of a local identity. The making of a cultural output generates not only goods and services but also values. Amongst the latter, we must include the creation and growth of that very social conscience that transforms a cultural property into a collective one, that is an asset that belongs to the community (local, national and supranational) regardless of who its proprietor may be. When these values are generated and made known, the public, either individually or in groups, becomes an important stakeholder of the process of adding value as suppliers of human resources (voluntary workers) and finance (donations). The creation and the growth of this conscience depends on the promotional process ability in communicating the values created, keeping into account the specific characteristics of the various social groups that make up the community: students, the elderly and associations, etc. 3) The production of inputs for other production processes. In general, the promotional process represents an ideal trial field for materials, technologies and the media which could be used as raw or half-finished materials for other production processes. For example, the testing of new means of communications could be re-used as raw materials or semi-finished goods by the multimedia and printing industries . Furthermore, the testing of new restoration techniques could be re- utilised in the construction sector specialising in the restoration and maintenance of historical buildings; the assembly of control systems can then be used for the protection of sites or precious/fragile items and so on; 4) The production of innovation, research and knowledge. Those activities carried out during the promotional process, especially those involved in the field of protection and development, usually increase the available know-how which can then also be used for assets other than those properties being the recipient of the process itself. Furthermore, research and development activities can be crystallised in the production of several outputs: publications, databases, new technologies, procedures, materials and so on.

Naturally, the assortment and diversity of the process outputs are linked to the targets set by the value-added process, to the number and quality of the resources (cultural, labour and financial) used, how consonant are the management activites to the process objectives and last but not least, to how the process of adding value is managed.

However, first and foremost the combination and level of outputs have to be consistent with the potential demands that one aims to satisfy and that can be either perceived by a community or a private individual.

For this reason, the Management Plan starting point is to single out the potential demands that could be triggered by the Val di Noto’s resources and therefore its aim is the utilisation of all the outputs generated by the valuation process as different sectors of the local economy – from the tourist industry to construction, from publishing to research, from crafts to farming – could be better utilised both in terms of quality and quantity and thus gain competitive advantage.

Furthermore, the process of adding value to the Val di Noto’s resources will have to utilise inputs from several sectors such as: −= The research sector; −= Project management; −= Maintenance and restoration; −= Publishing, media and multimedia −= Etc.

In the last few years, the importance of innovative sectors such as multimedia, computer science etc. has grown amongst the suppliers of inputs as the use of these technologies, by expanding the technical potential of reproducing the cultural properties, allows the outputs generated by the promotion of the resources to be sold directly on the doorsteps of a new type of user that can be best described as being a “remote visitor”.

To increase the effects on local development of promoting the cultural properties, the Plan intends to optimise the relationship between the process of adding value and those sectors suppliers of inputs.

The overall impact of this process is mostly linked to the funds made available to the management activities.

Up until now this type of expenditures has been met almost entirely by state funds. Therefore, public expenditure restrictions tend to diminish the effects of the promotional process on the other economic sectors. To overcome these limits on expenditure it is essential that the process of promoting the cultural properties is able to benefit from the increases in available income that could be released by further “processing” its products as the cultural sector budget and entry fee policies have only a limited scope insofar as self-financing is concerned.

The Management Plan will endeavour to find new means of raising funds and analyse new ways in which the private sector can participate in the promotional process. This could be achieved in a number of ways, namely: −= By crediting the promotional process with part of the income it has helped generate. This would be achieved by charging a part of the management costs to those taking part and enjoying the economic benefits generated by the promotional process. The more these external participants will be involved with the drafting and the management of development strategies, the easier it will be to pursue this policy of cost-sharing; −= By increasing the financial contributions coming both from donations as well sponsorships. Increasing the visibility and the sense of belonging to the community are essential requisites to give these financing sources a more prominent role; −= By introducing a local tax to better distribute the generated revenues; −= By increasing the range of services providing assistance and adding value to customers.

The operating and strategic frameworks that the Management Plan should provide have to take into account several objectives that can be summarised as follows: 1) Identify the necessary actions to be taken for the protection of the cultural resources through time; 2) Determine the urban and area management tools that the local agencies will need to use to enable them to protect and promote the resources located in their area; 3) Ascertain the costs and sources of finance needed to protect, preserve and promote the resources; 4) Put forward an integrated strategy aimed at revaluing all of the local area resources – both cultural and environmental – in order to increase the influx of tourists interested in culture in a sustainable way and support a new development plan for the area; 5) Identify those participants needed to co-operate in implementing an integrated valuation strategy; 6) Establish a procedure to implement the strategy and the criteria to be followed for monitoring the steps as they are being implemented.

The Management Plan as described above is thus based on the use of the integrated programming technique which will enable all those participating in the promotional process to: −= increase the effectiveness of those activities aimed at the conservation of the properties; −= extend their role in the making of a cultural identity for the benefit of the local community as well as for outsiders; −= provide support to the economic development processes both at a local level as well as on a greater scale.

To keep all the above mentioned aspects into account, the integrated programming which is at the base of the Val di Noto Management Plan will: 1) have to be an holistic experience. That is to say, it will have to involve all participants (public as well as private), all available local resources (historical, architectural, scenic, etc) and all available local means (infrastructures, reception services, research and training centres, etc). However, first and foremost it will have to involve the local communities by identifying suitable ways of involving them in the process since on the one hand, they have to endure the consequences of the restrictions posed on parts of the area while on the other they should become the first beneficiaries of an integrated process adding value to the resources; 2) have to consider all facets of the cultural sector: from the tangible to the non tangible ones, from the offer of services to increasing the participation of the local communities, from the quantitative to the qualitative economic aspects; 3) have to be vertically and horizontally integrated. Vertically both at the top, with the national and regional plans, as well as at the bottom by providing direction to the plans of each cultural sector (museums, libraries etc). Horizontally by integrating the programming with the town-planning, with plans relating to education, training and so on; 4) have to establish the rules to be applied for the allocation of public resources and to outline the commitments undertaken by the various private individuals; 5) have to outline the processes and tools necessary for carrying out the programme and for monitoring the activities undertaken by the various private individuals; 6) have to improve the tools and structures available for the direct management of the cultural heritage so as to allow those responsible for its conservation and management to carry out all the necessary steps to sustain a compatible socio- economic development.

In order to provide a detailed analysis of each of the steps needed to make up the overall process and establish who should the participants be to carry it out as well as identifying all the relationships and connections between the single specific steps and the overall process, the undergoing project can be divided into three phases: −= the first phase consists in a detailed analysis of all the activities and specific functions of the properties, such as how these came into being and their projected development. The analysis will also try to establish the level of efficiency and effectiveness reached in the management of these assets in an objective way; −= in the second phase, more emphasis is placed on how to integrate the management of the properties and of the area (both from the physical environment as well as from the social point of view), paying particular attention to the quality of the environment, to the receptive capacity and accessibility of the area etc.; −= in the third phase, the analysis concentrates on the integration of the promotional process of the properties and the local economic framework The research activities of the first phase have so far taken into consideration all policies carried out so far relating to: −= protection and conservation; −= use and fruition; −= advertising; −= offer of services relating to the fruition; −= budgeting, by analysing the economic and financial management (including costs, sources and channels of funding); the activities and tools used in monitoring and evaluating the management process, management type and operating techniques also in relations to the single participants (private and/or public); management programming tools and techniques; number of units involved and their professional characteristics and so on.

All the above mentioned functions have been examined by keeping into account any possible restriction arising from: −= who the properties belong to; −= the rules and regulations governing the protection of the various properties; −= the role played by political decisional processes which can interact and/or interfere with the asset management procedures, also bearing in mind the general governing rules.

During the second phase, we will analyse the degree of integration between the management of the properties and the local area considering the primary local function and resources which can become part of the process of protection and promotion of the properties. The local functions and resources which will be taken into consideration will be concerned with: −= the legislation, tools and powers of local area planning and management; −= the regional and environmental resources and means (scenery, settlement schemes, infrastructure networks, monuments, other cultural and environmental resources); −= resources and equipment (accessibility, reception capacity, leisure activities, cultural, educational and training facilities, access to information and to web services); −= human resources (demographics, educational and income background of the local population, degree of recognition and of acceptance of the properties by the local community).

In the third phase, we will examine the degree of integration between the promotion of the properties and the area’s economy. In this instance, the main functions and resources of the local economy which can affect the asset management process are as follows: −= the production activities supplying inputs or using outputs generated by the process of promoting the cultural resources, such as for example: project planning and freelance professionals, artisans specialising in restoration work, publishing sector, media sector, tourism etc; −= leisure and cultural activities such as music, theatre etc.; −= the labour market (percentage and demographics of those employed and unemployed, professional qualifications available in the region, training activities available etc.) −= the participants insofar as their decisional powers and means are concerned, current legislation and the planning and management tools pertaining to the whole of the activities being considered.

As already mentioned, the targets and methods of the Management Plan are shared by those in charge of protecting the properties and by the curators of the Boroughs onto whose region the properties put forward for listing on the World’s heritage list are located.

During the meeting held in Siracusa on 8 November, 2001 the index of the Management Plan was also approved as follows:

Management Plan Index

1. ANALYSIS OF THE ACTUAL SITUATION 1.1. Area: circumscription of the area (part of the Val di Noto and Catania). 1.2. Resources: identification of the resources nominated for inscription (as part of a cultural scenery); the quality and quantity of artistic, architectural, scenic and cultural resources of the area (outlining the characteristics belonging to the various types of structures and functions in relation to their environment). 1.3. Issues: the region potential and challenges (development), the state of conservation of the rural and urban areas and of the properties; risk assessment (natural disasters). 1.4. Participants: current roles and responsibilities of the regional and local agencies, of the government bodies in charge of their supervision, of the owners of the properties, of the technicians, etc. 1.5. Current systems: planning and control tools; maintenance systems; description of the restrictions either in existence or to be put into place for the protection and development of the singled out resources.

2. DEFINITION OF THE CONSERVATION AND PROMOTIONAL STRATEGIES: 2.1. Strategic objectives: short and long term (for example, how to create a sustainable system in the region, favouring employment creation, creating parameters for quality = trademark; how to guarantee a sympathetic use of the historical sites and buildings; how to build a maintenance and regular prevention system also in view of potential risks, fires, earthquakes, flooding, landslide and collapse of buildings). 2.2. Participants and responsibilities and degree of involvement of the public and private sectors, willingness to collaborate (an agreement to this effect has already been signed by boroughs), definition of the participants’ roles and responsibilities. 2.3. Actions to be taken by the participants; for example, town planning and conservation plans, commerce, tourism, agri-tourism, mobility, road systems both in the historical centres and around the region, investments, industry, itineraries for visitors to involve the region, keeping into account the characteristics and specialities of the various sites. 2.4. Sustainable activities currently being carried out or potentially doable within the region (industry, tourism, crafts, agriculture, commerce; details of operational techniques, materials and construction, colouring plan, infrastructures, cabling, fibre optics etc.) 2.5. Promotional activities; training (technicians, artisans), increasing awareness, information; involvement of educational centres, universities, schools; involvement and providing information to the owners of the buildings; 2.6. Funding; Government, region, European Community, industry, partners etc.

3. CONSERVATION-SENSITIVE MAINTENANCE, RESTORATION AND RECOVERY 3.1. Assessment of the current state of conservation and of the factors that affect conservation-sensitive restoration. 3.2. Definition of the scope of action and of the directives applicable to the sites. 3.3. Organisation of the information and consultation systems. 3.4. Programming of events. 3.5. Monitoring and testing.

4. RISK PREVENTION 4.1. Documents: risk assessment map, state of building and environmental conditions (fires, collapses, vandalism, earthquakes, landslides, flooding). 4.2. Definition of the strategies and priorities needed to reduce risk; responsibilities, roles and co-ordination. 4.3. Maintenance and consolidation projects and plans. 4.4. Emergency plans 4.5. Monitoring, description of parameters, actions and testing.

5. EXPECTED ECONOMIC IMPACTS: ADDING VALUE TO TOURISM AND OTHER ECONOMIC ACTIVITIES 5.1. Definition of an integrated programme aimed at adding value to all the resources of the region. 5.2. Definition of the plan on how to add value to tourism 5.3. Utilising cultural sites for tourism, strategies and modus operandi 5.4. Definition of the visitors profiles, markets and motivations 5.5. Evaluation of capacity potential, services, security and impacts 5.6. Promotion and building the image, contacts with local communities 5.7. Transport, access, public and private services 5.8. Rendering and education, publications, signs, personnel 5.9. Identification of other resources (environmental, etc.) and of the local tangible and intangible culture outputs to be valorised in connection with the sites. Outlining of the valuation process. 5.10. Description of the regional marketing plan 5.11. Identification of the source of finance (public and private, national and European) which can be used to support the valuation process

6. PROGRAMMING AND IMPLEMENTATION OF THE PLAN 6.1. Co-ordinating committee, functions, responsibilities and contacts 6.2. Annual intervention programmes 6.3. Relationship of the annual intervention programmes with the long and medium term plans 6.4. Assessment of financing resources and cost controls

7. MONITORING 7.1. Parameters assessment and scheduling 7.2. Programming of actions and reports to the authorities (including UNESCO). 7.3. Testing of the management plan

Nomination for the inscription on the World’s Heritage List UNESCO

THE REBUILDING OF VAL DI NOTO IN THE LATE BAROQUE PERIOD (South-east Sicily)

PROGRESS REPORT ON THE “VAL DI NOTO” MANAGEMENT PLAN

INDEX

Encl. 1 Siracusa’s Superintendency of Cultural and Environmental Assets Note (Italian and English versions)

Encl. 2 Progress Report on the “Val di Noto” Management Plan

Encl. 3 Electronic copy

ENCLOSURE N° 1

SIRACUSA’S SUPERINTENDENCY OF CULTURAL AND ENVIRONMENTAL ASSETS NOTE (Italian and English Versions)

ENCLOSURE N° 2

PROGRESS REPORT ON THE “VAL DI NOTO” MANAGEMENT PLAN

Foreword

Following the Agreement reached between the Ministry of Cultural Properties and Activities and Sicily’s Cultural Properties, Activities and Education Regional Council, the regional authority itself, the district authorities and local administrations on whose territory the assets to be included in UNESCO’s World Heritage are located, signed a development plan agreement and subsequently set up a permanent committee whose responsibility was to prepare on schedule and with the due competence the necessary documentation and to set out a business plan to manage, enhance in value and monitor the protected assets.

The operational arm of the “permanent committee” is a Working Group coordinated by the Consorzio Civita. The latter can count amongst its members the most important research centres and enterprises working in Italy in the cultural field and ensures the availability of both a technical secretariat for the collection and management of the data as well as providing operational assistance. The Working Group – under the scientific supervision of two professors of Rome’s University “La Sapienza” and Turin’s University of Engineering and with the collaboration of two senior and a number of junior researchers from the two universities - is working on developing the strategies needed to tackle the issues arising from the need to protect, preserve and add value to the assets put forward for inscription on the World’s Heritage List and also on collecting all the necessary information to make the management plan fully operational.

The following report is centred on the activities listed as priority in the proposed management plan submitted in December 2001.

Management Plan Principal Objectives

The site under consideration is the “Val di Noto”, in south-east Sicily, which encompasses the districts of Catania, Ragusa and Siracusa. This valley, named after one of its main locations, the Borough of Noto, is endowed with many cultural properties dating back to the late Baroque period that make this area one of the major expressions of this type of architecture to be found in the Mediterranean region, with the additional benefit of being surrounded by spectacular scenic views and a most evocative natural environment.

The municipal districts concerned are those of Catania, Militello in Val di Catania, Caltagirone, Palazzolo Acreide, Ragusa, Modica, Noto and Scicli. Each one presents either a single item or large areas in their old city centres suitable for inscription on the World’s Heritage List. The reasons behind their candidacy, albeit particular to each site on a single basis, all have their roots in the superb exhibits of late Baroque architecture that each area can offer.

The first task of the enquiry was to analyse those legal restrictions and the means currently being used for the protection of the late Baroque heritage so as to be able to put forward the necessary changes.

However, history has left its mark on Val di Noto’s cultural heritage in the form of monuments, rural and urban scenic views, items belonging to both the tangible and intangible culture that have many things in common. This heritage, in its wider meaning explained above, represents a very important element in the cultural identity of the local communities, both singularly and as a whole.

For this reason, together with the protection and conservation that nevertheless remain the principal objectives, we felt the need to add another equally important objective to the strategy outlined in the management plan and that is to involve the local population by introducing suitable means of participation.

The other relevant objective of this strategy rests on the fact that the Val di Noto cultural heritage can be used, if properly developed, to support the local economy through the support given to the local tourist industry and to local enterprises. In order to give a boost to the local economy by adding value to the cultural heritage and through the adoption of strategy for conservation and development of the whole of Val di Noto cultural heritage, the management plan will be based on an integrated planning matrix that will: - Increase the efficiency of conservation activities centred on the asset; - Expand the role played by the cultural asset in the determination of the cultural identity of the local communities; - Support the local economy by segmenting the supply side and thus increasing its competitiveness against available rival offers.

The integrated programming that should become operational in Val di Noto through the implementation of the management plan entails operational procedures capable of ensuring the following: 1) The integration of the protection and conservation operations both vertically and horizontally with the process of improving the value of the cultural resources under consideration; 2) The integration of the process of improving the value of the cultural resources with local infrastructures and the social-economic fabric of the area; 3) The qualitative improvement of the environment, the products and services available throughout the entire area.

The degree of protection offered by current tutelage laws and urban development plans of the sites put forward for inscription on the World’s Heritage List

The sites proposed for inscription on the World’s Heritage List are protected by some recent and not so recent restrictions and are also controlled by urban development plans aimed at their protection but that are not always directed towards an integrated management.

The following table is a summary of the documents examined for each proposed municipal district:

SITE N. 1 SITE N. 2 Municipal District: Catania Municipal District: Militello in Val di Catania District: Catania District: Catania Area of the proposed site: 38.50 Area of the proposed site: Hectares Classification of the proposed site: Via Classification of the proposed site: Church dei Crociferi, Piazza Duomo and of San Nicolò-SS. Salvatore, Church of the main monuments of the old S. Maria della Stella city town centre Classification of urban area: Zone A – Classification of urban area: Zone A – Old Old city town centre city town centre Planning Restrictions: Law 1089/39, Planning Restrictions: Law 1089/39, Law Law 1497/39, Law 64/74, Law 1497/39, Law 64/74, Law 431/85, 431/85, Regional Law 15/91 Regional Law 15/91 Urban development plans: Regional Urban development plans: Regional Landscape Development Plan- Landscape Development Plan-1996, 1996, General Municipal Distric General Municipal Distric Urban Urban Development Plan-1977, Development Plan-1977, Three Year Three Year Public Works Public Works Government Plan- Government Plan-1999/2001 1999/2001 Management: Catania’s Management: Catania’s archiepiscopal archiepiscopal administration, administration, District authority for District authority for Environmental and Architectural Environmental and Architectural Properties, Catania Regional District, Properties, Catania Regional Dept. of Civil Engineering, Catania District, Dept of Civil Engineering, Municipal district – Town planning Catania Municipal district – Town division planning division

SITE N. 3 SITE N. 4 Municipal District: Caltagirone Municipal District: Palazzolo Acreide District: Catania District: Siracusa Area of the proposed site: 68.51 Area of the proposed site: 10 Hectars Hectars Classification of the proposed site: Classification of the proposed site: Church Old city centre of St. Peter and Paul Nicoló, Church of St. Sebastian Classification of urban area: Zone A – Classification of urban area: Zone A – old old city centre city centre

Planning Restrictions: Law 1089/39, Planning Restrictions: Law 1089/39, Law Law 1497/39, Law 64/74, Law 1497/39, Law 64/74, Law 431/85, 431/85, Regional Law 15/91 Regional Law 15/91 Urban development plans: Regional Urban development plans: Detailed Plan for the Socio-economic Reclamation Plan-1996, General development-1988, Regional Municipal Distric Urban Development Transport plan, Regional Plan-1989, Public Transport scheme- Landscape development plan-1986, 1996, Three Year Public Works Urban Traffic Management Government Plan-2000/2002 scheme-1999, Fuel distribution plan, Detailed Reclamation Plan- 1996, General Municipal Distric Urban Development Plan-1984, Three Year Public Works Government Plan-2000/2002 Management: Caltagirone’s Management: Siracusa’s diocesan archiepiscopal administration, administration, District authority for District authority for Environmental and Architectural Environmental and Architectural Properties, Siracusa Regional District, Properties, Catania Regional Dept of Civil Engineering, Palazzolo District, Dept of Civil Engineering, Acreide Municipal district – Town Caltagirone Municipal district – planning division Town planning division

SITE N. 5 SITE N. 6 Municipal District: Ragusa Municipal District: Noto District: Ragusa District: Siracusa Area of the proposed site: 60 Hectars Area of the proposed site: 75.75 Hectars Classification of the proposed site: Classification of the proposed site: Old city Old city centre of Ibla and Ragusa centre Classification of urban area: Zone A – Classification of urban area: Zone A – old old city centre city centre Planning Restrictions: Law 1089/39, Planning Restrictions: Law 1089/39, Law Law 1497/39, Law 64/74, Law 1497/39, Law 64/74, Law 431/85, 431/85, Regional Law 15/91 Regional Law 15/91 Urban development plans: Regional Urban development plans: Regional plan for the socio-economic Landscape Development Plan-1988, development-1988, Regional Regional Transport scheme, General Transport scheme, Landscape Municipal Distric Urban Development Development Plan-1986 and 1996, Plan-1993, Three Year Public Works District territory development plan- Government Plan-1998/2000 1986, Urban Traffic Management Scheme-1999, General Municipal District Urban Development Plan- 1970, Three Year Public Works Government Plan-1998/2000 Management: Ragusa’s diocesan Management: Noto’s diocesan administration, District authority administration, District authority for for Environmental and Environmental and Architectural Architectural Properties, Ragusa Properties, Siracusa Regional District, Regional District, Dept of Civil Dept of Civil Engineering, Noto Engineering, Ragusa Municipal Municipal district – Town planning district – Town planning division division

SITE N. 7 SITE N. 8 Municipal District: Modica Municipal District: Scicli District: Ragusa District: Ragusa Area of the proposed site: 18 Hectars Area of the proposed site: 4 Hectars Classification of the proposed site: Classification of the proposed site: Old city centre – the churches and Francesco Mormina Penna Street and main buildings the Beneventano Palace Classification of urban area: Zone A – Classification of urban area: Zone A – old old city centre city centre Planning Restrictions: Law 1089/39, Planning Restrictions: Law 1089/39, Law Law 1497/39, Law 64/74, Law 1497/39, Law 64/74, Law 431/85, 431/85, Regional Law 15/91 Regional Law 15/91 Urban development plans: Detailed Urban development plans: Detailed Reclamation Plan-1996, District Reclamation Plan-1996, General Territorial Plan-1986, General Municipal Distric Urban Development Municipal Distric Urban Plan-1977, Three Year Public Works Development Plan-1977, Three Government Plan-1999/2001 Year Public Works Government Plan-2000/2002 Management: Noto’s diocesan Management: Noto’s diocesan administration, District authority administration, District authority for for Environmental and Environmental and Architectural Architectural Properties, Ragusa Properties, Ragusa Regional District, Regional District, Dept of Civil Dept of Civil Engineering, Scicli Engineering, Modica Municipal Municipal district – Town planning district – Town planning division

From the analysis of the current available tutelage procedures and urban development plans the following considerations arise: 1. Comparing the available survey maps showing the boundaries of those Municipal districts mentioned for inscription on the World’s Heritage List with those included in the main urban development plan currently being in force in each municipality, the Piano Regolatore Generale Comunale, PRGC in short (General Municipal District Urban Development Plan), we found that the proposed areas belonged to a town section referred to by the PRGC as homogeneous city zone “A” – Old city centre. In such a zone “the only restoration, reconstruction and conservative restructuring building work allowed is restricted to areas determined on the basis of planning, building and socio-economic surveys, within the minimum threshold of one whole block in which conservation and restructuring operations can be carried out organically and in unison”. 2. The restrictions imposed on the proposed areas located within the city zone system and classified as Zone Territoriali Omogenee, ZTO in short (homogeneous territorial zones) “A” – old city centre are the former Law 1089/39 governing the “Protection of properties of artistic and historical interest” and Law 1497/39 governing the “Protection for Scenic Beauties”, Law 431/85 concerning “Urgent directives for the protection of areas of particular environmental interest”, Law 64/74 concerning “Provisions for buildings with specific anti-seismic requirements”, Law 15/91 outlining “Urgent directives for the protection of areas of particular environmental interest”. 3. The current urban development plans being in force in all the municipal districts: - Piano Paesistico Regionale (PPR – Regional Landscape development Plan) whose Guidelines establish the parameters that need to be taken into consideration in planning activities both at a district and at a local level. Amongst the targets to be taken into consideration and detected thanks to the definition of 4 “strategic areas of intervention more directly related to the protection and development of the landscape and environment” are “the conservation and eligibility of historical, archaeological, artistic, cultural and documentary heritage and the territorial and urban reorganisation on the basis of the utilisation and development of the environmental and landscaped heritage”; - Piano Regolatore Generale Comunale (PRGC – General Municipal District Urban Development Plan) in which the whole municipal area is divided into homogeneous city zones (Zone Territoriali Omogenee – ZTO) of which the zone of particular concern to us is ZTO “A” – old city centre (please refer to Point 1); - Piano triennale Opere Pubbliche (PT – Three Year Public Works Plan), conceived by Sicily’s Regional Authority, which sets out that the accomplishment of public works is subordinated to being approved as part of an integrated programming of Public Works as well as the availability of the necessary. A similar procedure is also valid for works relating to the refurbishment, restructuring, strengthening and maintenance carried out by the Administration also on historical, artistic, architectural or monumental heritage. Some municipal districts also have additional urban planning schemes relating to certain detailed aspects of the city such as the management of traffic, parking places etc. More specifically we are talking about: - Piano Regionale di Sviluppo Economico e Sociale (PRS – Regional Plan for the Socio-economic development) whose main operational tools are “progetti di Attuazione”(PdA – implementation schemes), amongst which are: PdA “Internal Areas”, which outlines the “areas earmarked for the reclamation of the environment and the historical and artistic heritage” so that steps are envisaged to be taken to increase the efficiency of cultural and social services in addition to a more efficient environmental protection and the reclamation of the historical and cultural heritage; PdA “Tourism” that rejects the trite commercialisation of the environmental heritage even though it underlines the need to promote, develop and enhance the available supply side; Pda “Cultural Assets” that stresses the importance of an overall control of the entire process of developing the cultural properties. - Piano Regionale dei Trasporti (PRT – Regional Transport Plan), governing the restructuring of the whole transport system within the Region to improve transport links between the key areas. - Piani Particolareggiati di Recupero (PPR – detailed plans for reclamation) specifically compiled for a few areas circumscribed by the general municipal district urban development plan (PRGC) which details the permitted use and scope for intervention for each building. - Piano Urbano del Traffico (PUT – urban traffic management scheme), compulsory for any Italian municipal district with more than 30,000 inhabitants, which establishes the hierarchy and the priorities of the road network to improve traffic conditions within the city boundaries. Naturally, it favours the use of public transport as opposed to private means. - Piano Urbano dei Parcheggi (PUP – city parking development plan) that deals with the rationalisation of available parking within the city area and in particular it promotes the building of parking areas on the outskirts of the old city centre thus drastically reducing and in some cases completely eradicating parking areas within the old city centre. - Piano di Distribuzione Carburanti (PDC – plan for the distribution of fuel), written by the Technical department and in which the sites of filling stations are rationalised throughout the municipal territory, eliminating the stations located within the city centre area. 5. The management of cultural heritage pertaining to the arts, buildings, the environment or the local urban fabric is granted exclusively to public or religious bodies such as the District authority for Environmental and Architectural Properties, Civil Engineering, the city councils or the dioceses.

In the light of such considerations, it seems necessary to mention a few observations in order to be able to develop a common management plan for all the sites put forward as candidates for inscription on the World’s Heritage List: a. Urban harmonisation schemes should be set up along the lines of the non-profit institutions that have already been set up in similar circumstances following the recent guidelines provided by the Government, the Region and public and private enterprises. Furthermore, as it has already taken place in other regions, it would be right to arrange for the signing of a Programme Agreement and a Protocol of Understanding between regional, district and municipal authorities so as to arrange for inter-municipal projects aimed at the development of a larger area, such as this of Val di Noto. The area under consideration should be evaluated on a case by case basis after having analysed in detail the resources, the indicators, the detractors and correctives typical of that particular region. b. Finally, we recommend, in view of putting forward a management plan suitable for several municipalities, the need to draw specific regulations for each district. Each municipality has to have a project not only for the conservation but also for the development of each building, street, square, and block that give the city its characteristic urban traits like a genius loci.

To this effect it is worthwhile noting, as highlighted in the most recent restoration chart, that of Krakow 2000, the concept of intangible assets which refers to all those assets typical of a certain background that provide it with its original imprint but that are difficult to perceive. In our specific case of Baroque architecture such values suggest the identification not only of historical itineraries, in the literal sense of the words, but also of a sort of pilgrimage in search of the ephemeral aspects that are its special traits.

Description of the background research conducted to elaborate the socio- economic policies outlined in the management plan

The management strategy put forward has to involve all parties (public and private), all resources (pertaining to culture or the landscape) and all equipment (infrastructures, accommodation services, research and training services, etc.) available on site. As a matter of fact, the task of the strategy is to: - establish the rules for the allocation of public resources for the development of cultural resources; - provide a framework for the participation of private entities and define the parameters of their involvement; - define the instruments necessary for the management of the development programmes and the monitoring of activities; - modernise the regulatory framework and tools that govern the intervention by those responsible for the management of the cultural heritage, allowing them to actively participate to the local development process.

The problems caused by the realisation of an integrated development system can be resolved only through the application of a multi-disciplinary method of work. Hence the setting up of a Working Group capable of linking the various issues arising from the conservation and the improvement of the cultural heritage to the new functions assigned to these resources, that have to be revalued not only to pursue those objectives linked to a cultural identity but also within the framework of the development of the local economy.

In order to specify the development targets and the mechanisms to be activated, we are closely examining the activities and functions assigned to each asset, the sequence of events that they had to undergo and their development expectations. We are therefore researching and collecting as much data as possible so as to ascertain the existence or non-existence of an integrated development system for the cultural resources of Val di Noto, their potential, the strong and weak points of the territorial system. In other words, we are first trying to assess the critical mass of the artistic, cultural, tourist, environmental and research activities either currently under construction or already developed, the availability of leisure activities such as shows, etc. in the area, the accommodation and reception services currently available. A multi-dimensional analysis of the current state of things will provide us on the one hand with a sort of snapshot of the undergoing development process of Val di Noto and on the other will allow us to define the potential and the problems which might arise in unifying the single supply networks.

The above mentioned characteristics could not possibly have been observed had we relied exclusively on the official data collected through the official census, which would have provided us with obsolete data and not always representative of the real socio-economic and cultural fabric of the area.

Therefore, we have decided to proceed towards the integration of these data with an ad-hoc survey. Therefore, we have drawn up a questionnaire that has been sent to the eight municipal districts involved and aimed at identifying which are the: •= activities currently performed in the pursuit of the development of cultural assets, •= quality and consistency of the infrastructures and equipment available on the site, •= the site’s accessibility, environmental and social quality and reception services, •= the economic sectors currently supplying goods and services to the areas of activity currently active in the development process: from restoration work to actual fruition, from promotional to learning activities, •= the role played by the local economic in ensuring the necessary input for the development process.

The survey was also geared towards: •= The valuation of the potential demand, both external and internal, existing in the area. In other words, the aim is to identify those specific demand segments that could be satisfied by a differentiated supply so as to promote a supply of services capable of coming as close as possible to the identified demand and to define the right pricing and fees policies suitable to satisfy the requirements from the private and the public sector. •= Identifying all those parties, from the private and public sector, that have a specific interest in the project and that are willing to play a key role in its subsequent stages, such as co-operating to a single operation or becoming involved in the management, co-ordination and monitoring activities.

Specifically the questionnaire provides the following data: •= Tourism. Historical tourist flows, number of people working in the sector, hotels, agri-tourism, other reception infrastructure (camping and B&Bs), the number of beds available, the number of visitors, their origin and monthly distribution, the number of restaurants, in particular those mentioned in the tourist guides. •= The infrastructure. Accessibility and mobility arrangements within the area, railway stations, the number of km of railroads and roads divided by type, the distance from airports and sea-ports, the types of public transport. •= Museums, archaeological areas and sites, monuments and protected areas. Type and ownership, type and form of management, services, the number of workers in the field and the number of visitors, with the relevant qualitative data if available, entrance fee, opening hours and their geographical location. •= Traditional fairs. Civil or religious rituals, impact on the area, location and time period. •= Typical products. Brands, types and areas of production. •= Recent cultural events, fairs, festivals, exhibitions and conferences. Frequency and number of participants. •= Sports events. Frequency and number of visitors. •= Theatres. Type of shows, their number and number of spectators. •= A census of all dedicated itineraries, such as for food and wine and rural and industrial archaeology. •= Promotional and marketing activities. Type of advertising campaigns, type of channels used, costs and frequency. •= Projects in the cultural sector. Sources of finance, sequence, type and costs incurred. •= The area’s economic and social fabric. Sectors, number of firms, employees, average sales and location; with particular emphasis on the restoration and crafts sectors. •= Labour market. Number of people in employment, unemployed and looking for their first job, qualification and age distribution. •= Training and education. Type of available courses, financing and number of attendees. •= The collection of all the research and studies carried out during the past few years on the socio-economic condition of the municipalities and districts.

Currently, the stage of collecting the data is near completion. The Municipalities are providing their support and are also integrating the information supplied by sending further documentation on paper, CD, disk, VHS cassette, publications, brochures, etc.

In order to facilitate and make more readily available the data received up to now, we decided to build a database. The latter is not only useful to finalise the gathering of information, but will also standardise the data collection thus smoothing the handling and subsequent use of the database.

Preliminary survey of the co-ordinating mechanisms adopted by the interested institutions and parties and sources of finance

To ensure constant and continuous performance, necessary for building the foundations of a complex mechanism such as one undergoing a process of integration of cultural resources, a crucial and at the same time delicate period is the scheduling of activities centred on the protection, development and marketing of the area concerned.

We are therefore evaluating the possibility of setting up an non-profit Agency (or foundation) responsible for the development and management of a scheduling of the different activities and for the marketing of cultural events, tourism and leisure activities. This should be a dynamic strategy and therefore the Agency should be given the necessary powers and means to modify the plan itself as dictated by the work in progress. This Agency should also be responsible for the monitoring of activities .

All the interested parties should be permanently involved with the Agency: from the public and private sector, whether concerned with economic or the social aspects of the project.

The Agency should create the necessary conditions for the development of a highly specialised supply side capable of differentiating the value adding process of the Val di Noto resources from that of competitors, represented by the variety of archeological and tourist attractions available in the region. One of the fundamental strategic operations that need to carried out in such a rapidly expanding market such as the one of cultural tourism is the qualitative differentiation of the products on offer, especially considering that the relevant monitoring agencies are based at an international level. This product differentiation in the specific field of cultural properties is ensured by the fact that the characteristic of the Val di Noto give the area a competitive advantage. This competitive advantage should then be supported by the ability to develop products with a high content of technology, creativity, culture, design and innovation. The above could potentially provide us with an extraordinary chance of developing an area that has not benefited from the growth of the service industry and from the development of B2B solutions and where in actual fact a few firms active in the traditional economic segments are in the process of closing down.

Bearing this in mind, the Agency must be capable of implementing the right policies to attract a new kind of tourism, specifically to entice a type of tourist that is not only a visitor but also stays overnight. This kind of demand would help to build up a sustainable type of tourism, based on adding value and the safeguard of the cultural properties and on the development of a supply side in constant evolution.

By setting up such an Agency, the district of Val di Noto could then be included in a project of wider scope, currently being developed, which involves 40 municipalities within the region. The project named “Area circumscribed for the fruition of Sicily’s cities of art and minor historic centres” intends to operate on the designated area through the following projects: - the development of a culture supply system made up by a network of about 40 Sicilian cities of art and minor historic towns, - the development of a main thematic itinerary and a series of secondary cultural and tourist itineraries, - the development of a procedure for certifying the itineraries to a European, - the development of a programme of integrated measures aimed at adding value, promoting and improving the use and management of the cultural- tourist product offered by the set of municipalities in the circumscribed area, - The supply of quality accomodation services, including the refurbishment of existing.

The areas of intervention foreseen by the project are as follows: - The structural and functional improvement of the cultural and tourist sites - The creation of individual web sites for each municipality and the design of virtual thematic itineraries and of a main thematic portal - The development of those factors linked to human resources, employment and management tools - Marketing and promotional campaigns of the thematic area.

A close examination of this project highlights the common areas and the similarities that it shares with the Val di Noto management plan.

In order to increase the funds available for the protection and conservation of the cultural properties, at present somewhat limited, and to increase the sources of financing for projects linked to the local development we are examining several options, including the one offered the Piani Integrati Regionali (PIR – integrated regional plans). These projects form a specific modus operandi for the implementation of the Programmi Operativi Regionali (POR – operational regional programmes) so that different activities started or organised by the Region can be linked to one another and work towards a common development. The Regional authorities directly promote the integrated regional plans (PIR) that can involve thematical sectors or areas within the region and the provinces. It is precisely because these PIR projects present themselves as a complex web of cross-sector activities that require a strong, coherent system that seem to be particular suitable as a source of financing of the Val di Noto project. The latter integrates the protection of the cultural heritage with a series of measures created to foster the growth of several different sectors on a local basis. These together form a local network system comparable to those offered by the industrial districts of the more economically developed Italian regions. Another very important aspect is that in Sicily’s operational regional plan (POR) explicitly mentions the need to provide integrated programmes for the cultural properties sector as means to implement the strategies envisaged in the plan itself.

Conclusions

The Working group has been and is currently actively working towards the increasing integration of the activities, notwithstanding the specific competences. We have identified three areas which will be further researched into and developed in the following reports: 1) the area relating to the protection, maintenance and management of the properties with the provision of specific procedures and methods of intervention on the one side, and on the other by identifying the type of structure capable of ensuring an effective and efficiently integration of the activities to be performed; 2) the area concerned with the local development, by identifying those sectors that need to be strengthened so as to ensure a lasting and sustainable development and also those structures and tools needed to increase the cooperation of all interested parties; 3) lastly, the area concerned with financial resources through the identification of all available sources of finance as well new finding new financing instruments.