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.

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

An eagle-shaped city

The Burgos crucifix

The two churches

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

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

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

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

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

Some prestigious works

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

A city in colour

A colourful floor

A square as the heart of the city

Wonderful quick decorations

The Maiolica of the staircase

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

Discovering the mother church

A new site for a new church

Searching for colour

The Staircase of Angels

The senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

The interior and its masterpieces

The wall comes to life

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

Feast days

Feasting in Palazzolo

The chocolate of Modica

A long reconstruction

Prominent façade

The disastrous earthquake

St. Sebastian, so much work!

Two illustrious patron saints

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

Many owners, one palace

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

Norman apses

The Baroque town by the sea

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

From International Gothic to present day

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

The church of Carmine

A miniature city

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

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

Connections with other UNESCO sites

A talking palace

The colours of the cathedral

The façade used as a puppet theatre

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

A hall for the feasts

A symbol for the town

A small room with a golden entrance

A museum to save a tradition

The internal colours

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

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

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

A feast only for Scicli

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

One city, two sites

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

Between white and black

Limestone, the colour of harmony

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

The city of museums

Some masterpieces

New roads for Catania

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

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

A Nobel Prize in Modica

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

A triumph of colour

Modica, a city with ancient origins

A prominent church

The theatre of taste

One city, three sites

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

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

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

A majestic and luminous church

A half-Baroque church

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

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

A new site for a new city

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library