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 senses tell the story of the Badia di Sant’Agata

The wall comes to life

Modica, a city with ancient origins

A feast only for Scicli

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

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

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

Discovering the mother church

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

Feasting in Palazzolo

The colours of the cathedral

A symbol for the town

A Nobel Prize in Modica

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

A hall for the feasts

Between white and black

Searching for colour

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

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

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

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

Connections with other UNESCO sites

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

A small room with a golden entrance

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

The chocolate of Modica

An eagle-shaped city

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

The church of Carmine

Two illustrious patron saints

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

Prominent façade

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

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

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

New roads for Catania

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

One city, two sites

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

A new site for a new city

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

A city in colour

A colourful floor

A majestic and luminous church

A museum to save a tradition

A new site for a new church

A triumph of colour

The theatre of taste

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

A talking palace

From International Gothic to present day

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

Many owners, one palace

The disastrous earthquake

The Staircase of Angels

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

Some prestigious works

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

Some masterpieces

The interior and its masterpieces

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

The Burgos crucifix

Norman apses

Feast days

Wonderful quick decorations

Limestone, the colour of harmony

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

A long reconstruction

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

A half-Baroque church

The Maiolica of the staircase

One city, three sites

The façade used as a puppet theatre

A miniature city

St. Sebastian, so much work!

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

The two churches

A prominent church

The senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation

The city of museums

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

A square as the heart of the city

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

The Baroque town by the sea

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

The internal colours

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

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe