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 city of museums

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

A square as the heart of the city

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

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

The Burgos crucifix

The Baroque town by the sea

A new site for a new city

A long reconstruction

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

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

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

An eagle-shaped city

A museum to save a tradition

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

A hall for the feasts

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

Some prestigious works

Searching for colour

The Maiolica of the staircase

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

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

The internal colours

A new site for a new church

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

St. Sebastian, so much work!

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

Feasting in Palazzolo

From International Gothic to present day

A half-Baroque church

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

The interior and its masterpieces

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

One city, three sites

Connections with other UNESCO sites

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

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

A prominent church

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

The theatre of taste

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

The colours of the cathedral

Between white and black

The chocolate of Modica

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

Two illustrious patron saints

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

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

Feast days

The disastrous earthquake

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

The wall comes to life

A Nobel Prize in Modica

A talking palace

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

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

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

The two churches

A triumph of colour

The Staircase of Angels

Limestone, the colour of harmony

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

One city, two sites

A small room with a golden entrance

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

Some masterpieces

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

The church of Carmine

A feast only for Scicli

Modica, a city with ancient origins

The façade used as a puppet theatre

New roads for Catania

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

Norman apses

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

Discovering the mother church

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

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

Prominent façade

Many owners, one palace

A colourful floor

The senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation

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

A city in colour

Wonderful quick decorations

A symbol for the town

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

A miniature city

A majestic and luminous church

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca