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 senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

A majestic and luminous church

The theatre of taste

A hall for the feasts

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

The church of Carmine

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

The interior and its masterpieces

The Baroque town by the sea

A new site for a new church

A square as the heart of the city

Norman apses

Wonderful quick decorations

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

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

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

The façade used as a puppet theatre

Modica, a city with ancient origins

A museum to save a tradition

A new site for a new city

Prominent façade

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

A colourful floor

The Burgos crucifix

Feast days

A small room with a golden entrance

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

Some masterpieces

One city, three sites

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

The wall comes to life

A feast only for Scicli

St. Sebastian, so much work!

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

A long reconstruction

A miniature city

A city in colour

The internal colours

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

Two illustrious patron saints

The colours of the cathedral

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

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

Searching for colour

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

Connections with other UNESCO sites

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

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

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

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

Discovering the mother church

The senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

A triumph of colour

The Maiolica of the staircase

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

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

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

One city, two sites

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

A symbol for the town

A half-Baroque church

The city of museums

An eagle-shaped city

New roads for Catania

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

Limestone, the colour of harmony

Some prestigious works

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

A talking palace

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

The disastrous earthquake

From International Gothic to present day

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

Between white and black

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

A prominent church

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

Many owners, one palace

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

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

A Nobel Prize in Modica

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

The two churches

Feasting in Palazzolo

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

The chocolate of Modica

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

The Staircase of Angels

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe