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.

From International Gothic to present day

The disastrous earthquake

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

The senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation

A feast only for Scicli

A Nobel Prize in Modica

The city of museums

A majestic and luminous church

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

The church of Carmine

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

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

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

A miniature city

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

The internal colours

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

A talking palace

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

Connections with other UNESCO sites

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

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

The theatre of taste

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

Prominent façade

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

The chocolate of Modica

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

Some prestigious works

A half-Baroque church

The Baroque town by the sea

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

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

The Maiolica of the staircase

New roads for Catania

A city in colour

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

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

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

A new site for a new church

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

Two illustrious patron saints

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

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

The wall comes to life

A colourful floor

The two churches

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

The façade used as a puppet theatre

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

Discovering the mother church

Between white and black

A prominent church

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

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

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

A new site for a new city

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

A triumph of colour

An eagle-shaped city

Feast days

A symbol for the town

Modica, a city with ancient origins

A museum to save a tradition

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

A hall for the feasts

Some masterpieces

The Staircase of Angels

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

Limestone, the colour of harmony

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

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

One city, two sites

Searching for colour

A long reconstruction

St. Sebastian, so much work!

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

The colours of the cathedral

One city, three sites

Wonderful quick decorations

The interior and its masterpieces

Many owners, one palace

Norman apses

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

Feasting in Palazzolo

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

A small room with a golden entrance

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

A square as the heart of the city

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

The Burgos crucifix