Catania

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

sight
What a view!

If we climbed the steps leading to the terrace above the abbey of St. Agatha, perhaps we would be a little tired or out of breath, but there would be a splendid landscape before us.
The entire city can be seen from here: the Bellini Theatre, the Cathedral, the Ursino Castle, the churches on Via Crociferi and the great Benedictine monastery.
The cloistered nuns (who never left the monastery) used this terrace to participate in city life and attend processions without being seen.

smell
The scent of church candles

The smell of wax is one of the most characteristic scents inside a church and in the streets of Catania during the patron saint’s celebrations.
Votive candles are still produced today in Catania’s artisanal workshops using techniques and raw materials steeped in ancient knowledge.
There were originally two types of candles: those made with beeswax, which were more refined and expensive, and those made with animal fat, which were far cheaper but gave off an unpleasant smell and smoke.

From International Gothic to present day

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

A city in colour

The city of museums

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

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

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

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

Limestone, the colour of harmony

An eagle-shaped city

A long reconstruction

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

The disastrous earthquake

Wonderful quick decorations

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

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

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

Feast days

Searching for colour

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

A small room with a golden entrance

A miniature city

Two illustrious patron saints

A prominent church

The Maiolica of the staircase

A hall for the feasts

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

The façade used as a puppet theatre

The internal colours

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

Connections with other UNESCO sites

Norman apses

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

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

Many owners, one palace

A feast only for Scicli

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

The interior and its masterpieces

The Burgos crucifix

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

A colourful floor

A new site for a new church

The chocolate of Modica

One city, two sites

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

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

The church of Carmine

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

A half-Baroque church

Some masterpieces

St. Sebastian, so much work!

The two churches

New roads for Catania

A new site for a new city

Between white and black

One city, three sites

A triumph of colour

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

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

A Nobel Prize in Modica

A majestic and luminous church

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

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

The Staircase of Angels

Some prestigious works

A symbol for the town

Feasting in Palazzolo

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

The wall comes to life

A museum to save a tradition

The senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

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

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

The theatre of taste

The colours of the cathedral

A talking palace

A square as the heart of the city

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

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

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

Discovering the mother church

Modica, a city with ancient origins

Prominent façade

The Baroque town by the sea