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.

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

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

A new site for a new city

Discovering the mother church

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

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

A square as the heart of the city

Searching for colour

The church of Carmine

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

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

A city in colour

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

A colourful floor

Modica, a city with ancient origins

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

Between white and black

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

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

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

The internal colours

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

One city, two sites

Norman apses

The city of museums

A small room with a golden entrance

The colours of the cathedral

Feast days

The chocolate of Modica

The senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

A long reconstruction

Feasting in Palazzolo

The theatre of taste

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

A miniature city

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

Connections with other UNESCO sites

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

The disastrous earthquake

New roads for Catania

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

St. Sebastian, so much work!

The Staircase of Angels

Two illustrious patron saints

A prominent church

A Nobel Prize in Modica

Prominent façade

A feast only for Scicli

Limestone, the colour of harmony

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

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

An eagle-shaped city

A triumph of colour

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

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

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

The two churches

The Baroque town by the sea

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

One city, three sites

Some prestigious works

A hall for the feasts

Wonderful quick decorations

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

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

Many owners, one palace

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

From International Gothic to present day

The façade used as a puppet theatre

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

The wall comes to life

A majestic and luminous church

Some masterpieces

A half-Baroque church

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

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

A museum to save a tradition

The Maiolica of the staircase

A symbol for the town

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

A talking palace

The Burgos crucifix

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

The interior and its masterpieces

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

A new site for a new church

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library