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.

New roads for Catania

Many owners, one palace

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

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

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

A new site for a new city

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

A museum to save a tradition

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

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

The senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation

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

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

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

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

Norman apses

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

The Burgos crucifix

The internal colours

A small room with a golden entrance

The theatre of taste

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

A hall for the feasts

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

Searching for colour

The colours of the cathedral

One city, two sites

A new site for a new church

The interior and its masterpieces

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

The chocolate of Modica

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

A prominent church

Discovering the mother church

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

A talking palace

Some masterpieces

A majestic and luminous church

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

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

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

A miniature city

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

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

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

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

Between white and black

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

Feasting in Palazzolo

The Maiolica of the staircase

The two churches

Modica, a city with ancient origins

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

A half-Baroque church

The Baroque town by the sea

A Nobel Prize in Modica

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

A city in colour

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

One city, three sites

The façade used as a puppet theatre

Prominent façade

An eagle-shaped city

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

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

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

A long reconstruction

Wonderful quick decorations

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

Limestone, the colour of harmony

The wall comes to life

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

A symbol for the town

Two illustrious patron saints

From International Gothic to present day

The Staircase of Angels

St. Sebastian, so much work!

The disastrous earthquake

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

Some prestigious works

A triumph of colour

Connections with other UNESCO sites

The city of museums

A feast only for Scicli

A colourful floor

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

The church of Carmine

Feast days

A square as the heart of the city