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.

A new site for a new city

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

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

Between white and black

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

Norman apses

A colourful floor

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

Discovering the mother church

The church of Carmine

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

New roads for Catania

A Nobel Prize in Modica

Some prestigious works

A triumph of colour

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

St. Sebastian, so much work!

The façade used as a puppet theatre

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

Some masterpieces

A museum to save a tradition

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

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

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

A new site for a new church

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

A symbol for the town

Prominent façade

A city in colour

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

Modica, a city with ancient origins

The colours of the cathedral

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

The wall comes to life

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

One city, three sites

A small room with a golden entrance

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

Wonderful quick decorations

A half-Baroque church

The Burgos crucifix

Connections with other UNESCO sites

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

A miniature city

The senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation

A talking palace

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

A prominent church

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

The two churches

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

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

The disastrous earthquake

The Maiolica of the staircase

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

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

A majestic and luminous church

Limestone, the colour of harmony

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

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

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

An eagle-shaped city

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

The city of museums

The internal colours

Many owners, one palace

Feast days

Two illustrious patron saints

The Baroque town by the sea

The Staircase of Angels

The interior and its masterpieces

The theatre of taste

A long reconstruction

One city, two sites

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

Feasting in Palazzolo

The chocolate of Modica

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

A feast only for Scicli

A hall for the feasts

From International Gothic to present day

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

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

A square as the heart of the city

Searching for colour