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 Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

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

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

A talking palace

A feast only for Scicli

The theatre of taste

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

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

The church of Carmine

The two churches

Many owners, one palace

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

A miniature city

A city in colour

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

From International Gothic to present day

A museum to save a tradition

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

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

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

Modica, a city with ancient origins

Connections with other UNESCO sites

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

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

Norman apses

A triumph of colour

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

The disastrous earthquake

The interior and its masterpieces

Prominent façade

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

Limestone, the colour of harmony

Searching for colour

The Staircase of Angels

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

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

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

One city, two sites

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

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

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

The wall comes to life

A symbol for the town

A new site for a new church

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

The façade used as a puppet theatre

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

St. Sebastian, so much work!

Wonderful quick decorations

The internal colours

The Baroque town by the sea

New roads for Catania

The chocolate of Modica

A hall for the feasts

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

Two illustrious patron saints

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

Between white and black

Discovering the mother church

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

A Nobel Prize in Modica

A small room with a golden entrance

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

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

A long reconstruction

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

A half-Baroque church

A colourful floor

The Burgos crucifix

Feast days

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

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

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

The senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation

A square as the heart of the city

Some prestigious works

One city, three sites

Feasting in Palazzolo

An eagle-shaped city

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

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

A majestic and luminous church

A new site for a new city

A prominent church

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

The Maiolica of the staircase

The colours of the cathedral

Some masterpieces

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

The city of museums