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 site for a new city

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

The internal colours

A small room with a golden entrance

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

A prominent church

A square as the heart of the city

Norman apses

The Staircase of Angels

Some masterpieces

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

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

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

The two churches

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

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

A hall for the feasts

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

Between white and black

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

Prominent façade

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

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

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

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

Some prestigious works

A colourful floor

The chocolate of Modica

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

Wonderful quick decorations

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

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

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

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

The disastrous earthquake

Feast days

Discovering the mother church

A long reconstruction

The colours of the cathedral

The senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

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

The church of Carmine

A symbol for the town

A new site for a new church

A talking palace

Modica, a city with ancient origins

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

Many owners, one palace

The façade used as a puppet theatre

A museum to save a tradition

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

Searching for colour

One city, three sites

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

The theatre of taste

The Burgos crucifix

Limestone, the colour of harmony

The city of museums

The Maiolica of the staircase

Two illustrious patron saints

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

From International Gothic to present day

A miniature city

The interior and its masterpieces

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

A feast only for Scicli

A half-Baroque church

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

Connections with other UNESCO sites

A city in colour

An eagle-shaped city

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

A triumph of colour

The Baroque town by the sea

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

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

New roads for Catania

Feasting in Palazzolo

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

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

One city, two sites

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

The wall comes to life

A Nobel Prize in Modica

A majestic and luminous church

St. Sebastian, so much work!

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public