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.

Prominent façade

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

One city, three sites

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

Norman apses

Some masterpieces

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

Modica, a city with ancient origins

The Baroque town by the sea

New roads for Catania

Some prestigious works

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

A half-Baroque church

Discovering the mother church

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

The interior and its masterpieces

A new site for a new church

The theatre of taste

The façade used as a puppet theatre

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

Feast days

The internal colours

A majestic and luminous church

The chocolate of Modica

The church of Carmine

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

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

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

The senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation

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

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

The two churches

Between white and black

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

Wonderful quick decorations

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

A small room with a golden entrance

Many owners, one palace

A city in colour

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

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

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

The Maiolica of the staircase

Two illustrious patron saints

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

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

A prominent church

Feasting in Palazzolo

The Burgos crucifix

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

A square as the heart of the city

A new site for a new city

A talking palace

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

A museum to save a tradition

A feast only for Scicli

From International Gothic to present day

The colours of the cathedral

A triumph of colour

Limestone, the colour of harmony

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

The disastrous earthquake

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

A Nobel Prize in Modica

A long reconstruction

The Staircase of Angels

Connections with other UNESCO sites

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

A colourful floor

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

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

The city of museums

The wall comes to life

A hall for the feasts

An eagle-shaped city

One city, two sites

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

A symbol for the town

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

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

Searching for colour

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

St. Sebastian, so much work!

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

A miniature city

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe