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 senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

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

Feast days

From International Gothic to present day

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

Norman apses

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

The city of museums

A small room with a golden entrance

Two illustrious patron saints

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

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

A square as the heart of the city

The two churches

Searching for colour

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

New roads for Catania

The wall comes to life

The Maiolica of the staircase

The senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation

One city, three sites

The disastrous earthquake

Wonderful quick decorations

Discovering the mother church

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

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

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

The internal colours

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

The Burgos crucifix

The theatre of taste

A hall for the feasts

The colours of the cathedral

A new site for a new city

An eagle-shaped city

A triumph of colour

A colourful floor

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

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

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

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

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

Some prestigious works

A feast only for Scicli

Prominent façade

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

A majestic and luminous church

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

The interior and its masterpieces

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

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

Modica, a city with ancient origins

A prominent church

The Staircase of Angels

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

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

A miniature city

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

A half-Baroque church

A symbol for the town

The chocolate of Modica

A museum to save a tradition

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

A new site for a new church

One city, two sites

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

The church of Carmine

Some masterpieces

The façade used as a puppet theatre

Many owners, one palace

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

Feasting in Palazzolo

The Baroque town by the sea

Limestone, the colour of harmony

A long reconstruction

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

Between white and black

A Nobel Prize in Modica

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

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

Connections with other UNESCO sites

A talking palace

St. Sebastian, so much work!

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo