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.

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

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

A small room with a golden entrance

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

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

A feast only for Scicli

Between white and black

The chocolate of Modica

The Burgos crucifix

The Maiolica of the staircase

A symbol for the town

The Staircase of Angels

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

The city of museums

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

New roads for Catania

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

St. Sebastian, so much work!

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

Two illustrious patron saints

The two churches

The wall comes to life

Limestone, the colour of harmony

A new site for a new city

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

Searching for colour

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

One city, three sites

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

The Baroque town by the sea

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

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

The façade used as a puppet theatre

A long reconstruction

A half-Baroque church

Norman apses

The theatre of taste

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

A colourful floor

One city, two sites

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

A majestic and luminous church

A miniature city

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

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

Some prestigious works

A prominent church

A square as the heart of the city

Many owners, one palace

Some masterpieces

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

The internal colours

A new site for a new church

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

The colours of the cathedral

A city in colour

Prominent façade

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

The disastrous earthquake

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

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

Modica, a city with ancient origins

The church of Carmine

Discovering the mother church

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

Connections with other UNESCO sites

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

A triumph of colour

From International Gothic to present day

Feasting in Palazzolo

Feast days

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

An eagle-shaped city

A museum to save a tradition

A Nobel Prize in Modica

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

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

A talking palace

Wonderful quick decorations

The interior and its masterpieces

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

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

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

A hall for the feasts

The senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation

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

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara