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.

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

A square as the heart of the city

Wonderful quick decorations

One city, two sites

A half-Baroque church

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

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

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

A museum to save a tradition

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

A Nobel Prize in Modica

The façade used as a puppet theatre

A miniature city

The Baroque town by the sea

The two churches

A triumph of colour

The church of Carmine

Some masterpieces

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

A city in colour

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

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

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

A prominent church

A talking palace

Modica, a city with ancient origins

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

The disastrous earthquake

Two illustrious patron saints

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

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

A long reconstruction

From International Gothic to present day

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

One city, three sites

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

A new site for a new city

Between white and black

The city of museums

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

The chocolate of Modica

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

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

The senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

The interior and its masterpieces

A hall for the feasts

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

The Maiolica of the staircase

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

Prominent façade

Limestone, the colour of harmony

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

Searching for colour

The internal colours

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

Feasting in Palazzolo

Norman apses

A feast only for Scicli

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

A symbol for the town

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

A small room with a golden entrance

A new site for a new church

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

Some prestigious works

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

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

The wall comes to life

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

Connections with other UNESCO sites

The Staircase of Angels

St. Sebastian, so much work!

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

A majestic and luminous church

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

Discovering the mother church

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

A colourful floor

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

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

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

The theatre of taste

Feast days

Many owners, one palace

The colours of the cathedral

The Burgos crucifix

New roads for Catania

An eagle-shaped city