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.

The Maiolica of the staircase

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

One city, three sites

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

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

Many owners, one palace

One city, two sites

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

A triumph of colour

The façade used as a puppet theatre

Modica, a city with ancient origins

The church of Carmine

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

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

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

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

Searching for colour

A feast only for Scicli

The wall comes to life

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

A city in colour

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

Some prestigious works

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

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

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

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

A Nobel Prize in Modica

The internal colours

A miniature city

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

A colourful floor

A new site for a new city

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

From International Gothic to present day

Between white and black

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

A small room with a golden entrance

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

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

The chocolate of Modica

The Burgos crucifix

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

Connections with other UNESCO sites

Feasting in Palazzolo

Some masterpieces

The senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation

A symbol for the town

A square as the heart of the city

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

Prominent façade

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

A talking palace

A prominent church

The Baroque town by the sea

A long reconstruction

A half-Baroque church

New roads for Catania

The city of museums

A majestic and luminous church

Wonderful quick decorations

Feast days

The interior and its masterpieces

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

The two churches

A hall for the feasts

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

The colours of the cathedral

The Staircase of Angels

A new site for a new church

Limestone, the colour of harmony

Discovering the mother church

The disastrous earthquake

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

Two illustrious patron saints

An eagle-shaped city

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

A museum to save a tradition

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

St. Sebastian, so much work!

The theatre of taste

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

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

Norman apses

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

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

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