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.

Discovering the mother church

Feasting in Palazzolo

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

St. Sebastian, so much work!

The church of Carmine

A hall for the feasts

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

The internal colours

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

Feast days

A small room with a golden entrance

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

One city, three sites

A triumph of colour

Wonderful quick decorations

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

The colours of the cathedral

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

The senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation

The Staircase of Angels

Many owners, one palace

The wall comes to life

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

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

Some masterpieces

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

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

Two illustrious patron saints

The Burgos crucifix

The interior and its masterpieces

A prominent church

The Baroque town by the sea

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

A long reconstruction

A miniature city

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

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

Some prestigious works

A Nobel Prize in Modica

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

The façade used as a puppet theatre

An eagle-shaped city

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

Modica, a city with ancient origins

The disastrous earthquake

Limestone, the colour of harmony

A museum to save a tradition

Searching for colour

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

Prominent façade

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

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

The two churches

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

One city, two sites

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

The chocolate of Modica

A feast only for Scicli

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

A half-Baroque church

A new site for a new church

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

A symbol for the town

From International Gothic to present day

A talking palace

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

Connections with other UNESCO sites

Norman apses

Between white and black

The city of museums

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

New roads for Catania

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

A majestic and luminous church

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

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

A new site for a new city

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

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

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

A colourful floor

The theatre of taste

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

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

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

A square as the heart of the city

The Maiolica of the staircase

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

A city in colour