Cities of Val di Noto (World Heritage)
The world cultural heritage includes eight cities in Eastern Sicily, which were rebuilt almost simultaneously in the Baroque style after the earthquake in 1693 and are considered the greatest example of urban planning in the Baroque era. These are the cities of Caltagirone, Militello Val di Catania, Noto, Modica, Palazzolo Acreide, Scicli, Ragusa and Catania.
Cities of Val di Noto: facts
| Official title: | Late baroque towns in Val di Noto (Sicily) |
| Cultural monument: | Eight cities of the Val di Noto in south-east Sicily; rebuilt after a devastating earthquake in 1693 in the style of the late baroque; Caltagirone; Catania: Dom Santí Agata, built on the foundations of a Norman church (1748), Benedictine monastery (1704), Church of San Nicolo (1730); Militello Val di Catania; Modica: Church of San Gorgio (1643 to 1842) with outside staircase; Noto: Dom Santi Nicola e Corrado (1775), Church of San Domenico (1727), Town Hall (1745); Palazzolo Acreide; Ragusa: Church of San Giorgio (1775), new upper town; Scicli |
| Continent: | Europe |
| Country: | Italy |
| Location: | Eight villages in the provinces of Catania, Ragusa and Syracuse in the southeast of Sicily |
| Appointment: | 2002 |
| Meaning: | Significant examples of late baroque urban planning and architecture in Europe |
Cities of the Val di Noto: history
| 13th century BC Chr. | The Siculians settled in the Pantalica necropolis |
| 729 BC Chr. | Founding of Catania |
| 1282 | Sicilian Vespers |
| 1669 | Lava buried Catania after an eruption of Mount Etna |
| 1693 | Violent earthquake with over 1,000 tremors, complete destruction of 50 locations within a radius of 600 km, more than 93,000 deaths |
| until 1713 | Spanish owned Sicily |
| 1861 | Sicily to Italy |
| 1908 | Destruction of Messina in northeastern Sicily by earthquake, over 80,000 dead |
| 1996 | Collapse of the cathedral dome “Santi Nicolae Corrado” in Noto |
Villa d´Este in Tivoli (World Heritage)
The villa, which was rebuilt in the 16th century, is located in Tivoli, 20 km east of Rome. The renaissance villa of Cardinal Ippolito II. D’Este (1509 –1572) with its ornately designed interiors impresses above all with its magnificent garden, which is considered a masterpiece of baroque garden design. Magical fountains, nymphs and water features make the complex a total work of art, which also set standards as a cultural meeting point up into the 19th century.
Villa d’Este in Tivoli: facts
| Official title: | Villa d’Este in Tivoli |
| Cultural monument: | Cardinal palace built in the Renaissance style on a former Benedictine monastery with artistically designed, geometrically arranged park; over 500 sculptures, fountains, water features and fountains; ao: Grotto of Diana, Viale of the Hundred Fountains, Fountain of the Great Glass, Proserpine Fountain, Owl Fountain, Fontana dell’Ovato, Fontana dell’Organo Idraulico (water organ), Dragon Fountain, Rotunda of Cypresses, Rometa (model of ancient Rome, partly destroyed), fish ponds |
| Continent: | Europe |
| Country: | Italy |
| Location: | Tivoli, northeast of Rome |
| Appointment: | 2001 |
| Meaning: | Outstanding example of the Renaissance culture and model for numerous water gardens in Europe |
Villa d´Este in Tivoli: history
| 1550 | Order to build the villa and the park from Cardinal Ippolito d’Este to the builder Pirro Ligorio |
| 1600 | Completion of the park |
| 17./18. Century | Multiple reconstruction of the park |
| Early 18th century | Villa owned by the House of Habsburg |
| from 1870 | Renovation of the villa |
| 1880-86 | Stay of the composer Franz Liszt in the villa |
| 1918 | Takeover of the plant by the Italian state |
| 1944 | Damage in a bomb attack |
Verona old town (World Heritage)
According to programingplease, Verona documents around 2000 years of European history in its cityscape. The city has a mix of ancient, medieval and renaissance buildings. The highlights include the amphitheater for around 22,000 spectators, the historical facades around the Piazza delle Erbe, the Ponte Pietra, the triumphal arch, the Romanesque cathedral Santa Maria Martricolare, the Scaliger castle (Castelvecchio) and bridge, as well as the Porta Borsari, city palaces, Churches and tombs. In summer the famous opera festival takes place in the ancient arena.
Verona old town: facts
| Official title: | Verona old town |
| Cultural monument: | Numerous architectural evidence from antiquity, the Middle Ages and the Renaissance; among others: amphitheater for 22,000 spectators (30 AD), Ponte Pietra (1st century), triumphal arch Arco di Gavo (1st century), Church of Santo Stefano (8th – 12th century), Church of San Fermo Maggiore (from 1065), Church of San Zeno Maggiore (1118 to 1135) with 48 bronze reliefs, Cathedral (1139 to 1187), Church of Santí Anastasia (from 1290), fortress Castelvecchio (14th century), clock tower Gardello (1375), tombs the Scaliger (14th century), Piazza Erbe and Piazza dei Signori surrounded by representative city palaces (14th – 17th century), San Giorgio in Braida (from 1530), town hall (1836) |
| Continent: | Europe |
| Country: | Italy |
| Location: | Verona |
| Appointment: | 2000 |
| Meaning: | Testimony to more than 2000 years of eventful European history |
Verona old town: history
| around 1000 BC Chr. | First settlements |
| 46 BC Chr. | Verona free Roman city |
| after 400 | Temporarily capital of the Western Roman Empire |
| 489 | Victory of Theodoric over Odoacer |
| 6th century | Capital of the Longobard Empire |
| 9th century | Carolingian rule |
| 11th century | Verona part of the Duchy of Bavaria |
| around 1260 | Rule of the Scaliger (until 1378) |
| 1387 | Verona owned by the Visconti |
| 1405 | Verona part of the Republic of Venice |
| 1797-1885 | Verona to Austria (again 1814-16) |
| 1866 | Part of the Kingdom of Italy |
