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.

A Nobel Prize in Modica

The façade used as a puppet theatre

Two illustrious patron saints

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

Wonderful quick decorations

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

The two churches

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

A long reconstruction

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

Between white and black

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

A museum to save a tradition

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

The Baroque town by the sea

One city, two sites

Many owners, one palace

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

The internal colours

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

Norman apses

Prominent façade

A prominent church

St. Sebastian, so much work!

A small room with a golden entrance

A colourful floor

The Maiolica of the staircase

A talking palace

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

Feasting in Palazzolo

A symbol for the town

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

Feast days

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

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

Some prestigious works

The Staircase of Angels

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

The Burgos crucifix

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

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

One city, three sites

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

A new site for a new city

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

From International Gothic to present day

Limestone, the colour of harmony

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

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

A majestic and luminous church

New roads for Catania

A hall for the feasts

Searching for colour

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

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

The church of Carmine

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

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

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

The chocolate of Modica

A half-Baroque church

A new site for a new church

The interior and its masterpieces

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

Modica, a city with ancient origins

The theatre of taste

The senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation

A city in colour

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

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

The wall comes to life

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

The city of museums

Some masterpieces

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

A square as the heart of the city

Connections with other UNESCO sites

A triumph of colour

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

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

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

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

Discovering the mother church

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

The colours of the cathedral

A feast only for Scicli

An eagle-shaped city

The disastrous earthquake

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

A miniature city

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