Catania

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

sight
A hypnotic floor

With a splendid geometric design of curved and broken lines pointing towards the centre, the floor of the church of San Giuliano (St. Julian) mesmerises all who look upon it.
The effect is amplified by the contrast between the colours of the floor.
The red stone alternating with white marble with light grey veins is enough to make your head spin.

hearing
The singing of the Benedictines

On the Feast of St. Agatha, the saint’s statue is carried around the city streets in procession.
The long route takes us in front of the church of San Giuliano (St. Julian), where the devout Benedictine nuns, hidden behind the grilles, hear prayers, honour the Saint and take part in one of the most important celebrations.

A city in colour

The theatre of taste

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

Between white and black

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

A prominent church

A Nobel Prize in Modica

The chocolate of Modica

The interior and its masterpieces

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

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

Two illustrious patron saints

A long reconstruction

Connections with other UNESCO sites

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

The Staircase of Angels

Wonderful quick decorations

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

Norman apses

Some prestigious works

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

A majestic and luminous church

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

A colourful floor

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

One city, three sites

Discovering the mother church

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

The church of Carmine

Prominent façade

A miniature city

Feasting in Palazzolo

The Baroque town by the sea

Searching for colour

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

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

A talking palace

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

A feast only for Scicli

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

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

A small room with a golden entrance

Modica, a city with ancient origins

Feast days

An eagle-shaped city

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

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

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

Some masterpieces

A new site for a new city

A hall for the feasts

A museum to save a tradition

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

Limestone, the colour of harmony

The wall comes to life

The Burgos crucifix

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

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

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

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

St. Sebastian, so much work!

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

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

One city, two sites

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

A symbol for the town

A new site for a new church

Many owners, one palace

The senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

A square as the heart of the city

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

The façade used as a puppet theatre

The Maiolica of the staircase

The two churches

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

New roads for Catania

The internal colours

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

A triumph of colour

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

The colours of the cathedral

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

A half-Baroque church

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

The disastrous earthquake

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

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

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

From International Gothic to present day

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

The city of museums