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.

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

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

A talking palace

The chocolate of Modica

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

Wonderful quick decorations

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

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

The theatre of taste

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

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

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

The façade used as a puppet theatre

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

A Nobel Prize in Modica

Connections with other UNESCO sites

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

The senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation

Limestone, the colour of harmony

Prominent façade

Norman apses

Feast days

The Staircase of Angels

The disastrous earthquake

New roads for Catania

One city, three sites

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

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

The interior and its masterpieces

The colours of the cathedral

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

A museum to save a tradition

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

Many owners, one palace

A small room with a golden entrance

Two illustrious patron saints

A new site for a new city

From International Gothic to present day

A colourful floor

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

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

A miniature city

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

Feasting in Palazzolo

A new site for a new church

A hall for the feasts

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

The Burgos crucifix

A feast only for Scicli

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

Discovering the mother church

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

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

Between white and black

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

A half-Baroque church

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

One city, two sites

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

Some masterpieces

The internal colours

The Baroque town by the sea

St. Sebastian, so much work!

An eagle-shaped city

A long reconstruction

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

The wall comes to life

The church of Carmine

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

A triumph of colour

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

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

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

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

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

Searching for colour

The Maiolica of the staircase

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

A city in colour

The city of museums

A majestic and luminous church

Modica, a city with ancient origins

Some prestigious works

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

The two churches

A square as the heart of the city

A prominent church

A symbol for the town