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 colourful floor

The Staircase of Angels

A Nobel Prize in Modica

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

The internal colours

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

New roads for Catania

St. Sebastian, so much work!

The senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation

The city of museums

A small room with a golden entrance

The Burgos crucifix

One city, three sites

A triumph of colour

The church of Carmine

Searching for colour

A majestic and luminous church

A hall for the feasts

The theatre of taste

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

The disastrous earthquake

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

The chocolate of Modica

A long reconstruction

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

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

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

A city in colour

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

Modica, a city with ancient origins

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

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

The interior and its masterpieces

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

A museum to save a tradition

Between white and black

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

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

A prominent church

Discovering the mother church

One city, two sites

The colours of the cathedral

A new site for a new church

The Maiolica of the staircase

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

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

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

Many owners, one palace

Norman apses

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

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

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

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

Two illustrious patron saints

The two churches

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

A miniature city

A new site for a new city

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

A talking palace

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

Connections with other UNESCO sites

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

Feasting in Palazzolo

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

From International Gothic to present day

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

An eagle-shaped city

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

The Baroque town by the sea

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

A square as the heart of the city

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

Feast days

A half-Baroque church

Some prestigious works

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

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

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

The wall comes to life

Prominent façade

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

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

A symbol for the town

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

Limestone, the colour of harmony

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

Some masterpieces

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

The façade used as a puppet theatre

A feast only for Scicli

Wonderful quick decorations