Catania

The theatre of taste

a piscariaA few metres from the cathedral, just past Porta Uzeda, is the fish market, “a piscaria”. It has been home to one of Catania’s historical markets since the early 19th century.
Modest in size, it is now a destination for fish connoisseurs and tourists.
Amidst the colours of red mullet and black mussel shells, the vendors’ shouts mingle with the smell.
Though rather strong and pungent, it’s definitely authentic and encourages visitors to take some fish home. Spices can also be found, to accompany the market purchases. Packaged in unidentified plastic bags, they tell a story of cultural influences steeped in past and present that reveal and release aromas of ancient origin. Observing in this way brings you closer to the beauty of these places.
The market of Catania is a theatre of taste, animated by the traders’ shouts, where you can revel in an atmosphere where time seems to stand still.

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

The two churches

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

The disastrous earthquake

Feast days

A new site for a new city

A long reconstruction

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

The city of museums

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

A prominent church

Wonderful quick decorations

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

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

Connections with other UNESCO sites

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

Modica, a city with ancient origins

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

An eagle-shaped city

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

The chocolate of Modica

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

The Staircase of Angels

A new site for a new church

New roads for Catania

A museum to save a tradition

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

Feasting in Palazzolo

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

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

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

The senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

The theatre of taste

The Burgos crucifix

A small room with a golden entrance

The church of Carmine

From International Gothic to present day

Discovering the mother church

Many owners, one palace

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

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

A colourful floor

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

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

St. Sebastian, so much work!

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

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

Some prestigious works

A half-Baroque church

A feast only for Scicli

A miniature city

A Nobel Prize in Modica

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

A hall for the feasts

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

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

The colours of the cathedral

The internal colours

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

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

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

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

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

One city, two sites

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

Between white and black

Some masterpieces

The Maiolica of the staircase

A city in colour

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

The Baroque town by the sea

A talking palace

Norman apses

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

A triumph of colour

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

A symbol for the town

Searching for colour

The façade used as a puppet theatre

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

A majestic and luminous church

Two illustrious patron saints

Prominent façade

Limestone, the colour of harmony

A square as the heart of the city

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

The interior and its masterpieces

One city, three sites

The wall comes to life