Catania

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

sight
Brightness and light

Colour, light and more colour!
The vault is a riot of colour, capable of making the figures and shapes stand out, and leaving visitors gazing upwards.
As for the altar, it attracts attention thanks to the brilliance and shine of gold, silver and the precious sparkling stones used to decorate it.
The church is a treasure trove of precious jewels.

hearing
A sound to accompany prayer

It’s 1790 and you’re inside the church of St. Benedict, attending one of the services… You can hear something… what is it?
The organ!
With a sound alternating between gentle and low, it accompanies prayer as impressed worshippers celebrate Holy Mass.
Then the bells announce the end of the service.
Their chimes vibrate in the atmosphere and resonate along Via dei Crociferi.

The Maiolica of the staircase

Some masterpieces

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

The city of museums

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

Feasting in Palazzolo

Wonderful quick decorations

The interior and its masterpieces

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

A prominent church

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

St. Sebastian, so much work!

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

Limestone, the colour of harmony

Discovering the mother church

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

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

One city, three sites

A triumph of colour

A half-Baroque church

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

Two illustrious patron saints

A feast only for Scicli

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

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

The two churches

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

A miniature city

Connections with other UNESCO sites

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

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

A new site for a new church

Many owners, one palace

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

The façade used as a puppet theatre

A new site for a new city

Prominent façade

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

Searching for colour

Some prestigious works

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

The chocolate of Modica

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

Norman apses

A city in colour

The senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation

The wall comes to life

The Burgos crucifix

A Nobel Prize in Modica

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

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

The colours of the cathedral

A small room with a golden entrance

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

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

A long reconstruction

Feast days

The Staircase of Angels

A majestic and luminous church

The Baroque town by the sea

A hall for the feasts

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

Between white and black

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

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

A talking palace

The internal colours

A colourful floor

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

One city, two sites

The disastrous earthquake

Modica, a city with ancient origins

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

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

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

The church of Carmine

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

The theatre of taste

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

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

A museum to save a tradition

New roads for Catania

From International Gothic to present day

An eagle-shaped city

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

A symbol for the town

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

A square as the heart of the city

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

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