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 new site for a new city

Discovering the mother church

The two churches

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

St. Sebastian, so much work!

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

The theatre of taste

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

Between white and black

A half-Baroque church

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

Feasting in Palazzolo

Wonderful quick decorations

A Nobel Prize in Modica

One city, two sites

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

A colourful floor

From International Gothic to present day

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

Some masterpieces

A small room with a golden entrance

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

A miniature city

A talking palace

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

The interior and its masterpieces

The façade used as a puppet theatre

Some prestigious works

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

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

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

Modica, a city with ancient origins

A new site for a new church

The colours of the cathedral

One city, three sites

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

The disastrous earthquake

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

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

Norman apses

A city in colour

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

New roads for Catania

The Staircase of Angels

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

Prominent façade

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

A square as the heart of the city

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

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

Limestone, the colour of harmony

The wall comes to life

A museum to save a tradition

The chocolate of Modica

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 Church of San Giovanni Evangelista

A prominent church

The Maiolica of the staircase

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

A symbol for the town

The Baroque town by the sea

The internal colours

The Burgos crucifix

The church of Carmine

Two illustrious patron saints

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

A triumph of colour

A hall for the feasts

Feast days

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

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

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

The city of museums

A feast only for Scicli

Searching for colour

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

A majestic and luminous church

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

Connections with other UNESCO sites

A long reconstruction

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

The senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

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

Many owners, one palace

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

An eagle-shaped city