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 Church of San Giuliano ai Crociferi

The Baroque town by the sea

A miniature city

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

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

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

Modica, a city with ancient origins

The Burgos crucifix

The colours of the cathedral

The Maiolica of the staircase

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

Between white and black

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

A long reconstruction

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

St. Sebastian, so much work!

The internal colours

Wonderful quick decorations

The Staircase of Angels

A city in colour

The wall comes to life

The two churches

A symbol for the town

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

Feasting in Palazzolo

A prominent church

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

A feast only for Scicli

Searching for colour

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

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

A hall for the feasts

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

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

A museum to save a tradition

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

Two illustrious patron saints

From International Gothic to present day

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

A new site for a new church

Prominent façade

One city, two sites

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

One city, three sites

The disastrous earthquake

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

Connections with other UNESCO sites

Some masterpieces

A majestic and luminous church

The theatre of taste

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

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

Feast days

An eagle-shaped city

A Nobel Prize in Modica

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

A half-Baroque church

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

The interior and its masterpieces

A new site for a new city

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

A square as the heart of the city

The senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

A small room with a golden entrance

The city of museums

The church of Carmine

Norman apses

Discovering the mother church

Many owners, one palace

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

Some prestigious works

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

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

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

A colourful floor

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

Limestone, the colour of harmony

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

The façade used as a puppet theatre

A talking palace

The chocolate of Modica

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

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

A triumph of colour

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

New roads for Catania