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 theatre of taste

A feast only for Scicli

Feast days

Discovering the mother church

A new site for a new church

The colours of the cathedral

An eagle-shaped city

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

The Maiolica of the staircase

A symbol for the town

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

A city in colour

The Staircase of Angels

The church of Carmine

A new site for a new city

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

A majestic and luminous church

The internal colours

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

A hall for the feasts

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

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

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

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

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

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

One city, three sites

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

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

The façade used as a puppet theatre

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

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

New roads for Catania

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

A talking palace

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

The disastrous earthquake

Some masterpieces

Prominent façade

Feasting in Palazzolo

The senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation

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

Modica, a city with ancient origins

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

Between white and black

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

A museum to save a tradition

A small room with a golden entrance

A triumph of colour

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

The wall comes to life

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

Searching for colour

A colourful floor

The city of museums

A prominent church

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

Some prestigious works

Limestone, the colour of harmony

The interior and its masterpieces

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

Connections with other UNESCO sites

A square as the heart of the city

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

The two churches

Norman apses

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

A half-Baroque church

A miniature city

St. Sebastian, so much work!

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

Two illustrious patron saints

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

From International Gothic to present day

A long reconstruction

The Baroque town by the sea

A Nobel Prize in Modica

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

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

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

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

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

Wonderful quick decorations

Many owners, one palace

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

The chocolate of Modica

The Burgos crucifix

One city, two sites

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