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 two churches

An eagle-shaped city

A square as the heart of the city

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

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

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

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

A half-Baroque church

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

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

A colourful floor

The church of Carmine

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

Between white and black

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

Norman apses

One city, three sites

Feast days

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

Connections with other UNESCO sites

Wonderful quick decorations

The senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation

A small room with a golden entrance

A prominent church

Prominent façade

The internal colours

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

Feasting in Palazzolo

A miniature city

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

A feast only for Scicli

Limestone, the colour of harmony

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

The disastrous earthquake

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

The Baroque town by the sea

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

Some masterpieces

A new site for a new church

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

New roads for Catania

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

The façade used as a puppet theatre

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

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

The Maiolica of the staircase

The Staircase of Angels

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

A city in colour

The theatre of taste

The city of museums

A long reconstruction

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

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

The chocolate of Modica

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

A symbol for the town

A Nobel Prize in Modica

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

Two illustrious patron saints

From International Gothic to present day

A new site for a new city

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

Searching for colour

The interior and its masterpieces

A triumph of colour

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

The colours of the cathedral

A majestic and luminous church

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

Many owners, one palace

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

A hall for the feasts

The wall comes to life

Some prestigious works

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

A museum to save a tradition

Modica, a city with ancient origins

The Burgos crucifix

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

A talking palace

Discovering the mother church

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

St. Sebastian, so much work!

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

One city, two sites

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

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

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

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?