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 Santa Chiara

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

A triumph of colour

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

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

A feast only for Scicli

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

The senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation

A museum to save a tradition

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

A city in colour

A symbol for the town

The Burgos crucifix

Wonderful quick decorations

A new site for a new church

The interior and its masterpieces

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

The city of museums

The Baroque town by the sea

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

A half-Baroque church

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

Feasting in Palazzolo

The colours of the cathedral

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

A talking palace

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

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

Between white and black

The theatre of taste

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

A hall for the feasts

New roads for Catania

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

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

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

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

The Maiolica of the staircase

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

St. Sebastian, so much work!

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

Some masterpieces

The Staircase of Angels

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

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

A long reconstruction

Many owners, one palace

An eagle-shaped city

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

The two churches

Limestone, the colour of harmony

A square as the heart of the city

The façade used as a puppet theatre

One city, two sites

The wall comes to life

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

Prominent façade

The church of Carmine

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

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

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

A colourful floor

From International Gothic to present day

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

A majestic and luminous church

The internal colours

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

A new site for a new city

One city, three sites

A small room with a golden entrance

Feast days

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

A miniature city

A prominent church

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

Connections with other UNESCO sites

The chocolate of Modica

Discovering the mother church

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

The disastrous earthquake

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

Modica, a city with ancient origins

A Nobel Prize in Modica

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

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

Searching for colour

Norman apses

Some prestigious works

Two illustrious patron saints

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe