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 senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

Modica, a city with ancient origins

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

A square as the heart of the city

An eagle-shaped city

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

The senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation

A prominent church

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

A hall for the feasts

From International Gothic to present day

Limestone, the colour of harmony

A new site for a new church

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

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

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

The façade used as a puppet theatre

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

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

A new site for a new city

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

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

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

A colourful floor

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

Searching for colour

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

A symbol for the town

The chocolate of Modica

A triumph of colour

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

A museum to save a tradition

The colours of the cathedral

The interior and its masterpieces

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

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

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

A feast only for Scicli

Connections with other UNESCO sites

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

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

A small room with a golden entrance

The Maiolica of the staircase

Some prestigious works

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

The Staircase of Angels

A city in colour

Norman apses

The Burgos crucifix

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

Between white and black

The two churches

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

The church of Carmine

The theatre of taste

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

Prominent façade

One city, three sites

Some masterpieces

Wonderful quick decorations

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

A majestic and luminous church

A Nobel Prize in Modica

Many owners, one palace

The disastrous earthquake

New roads for Catania

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

Feasting in Palazzolo

A half-Baroque church

One city, two sites

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

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

The Baroque town by the sea

Discovering the mother church

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

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

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

St. Sebastian, so much work!

A talking palace

The wall comes to life

A miniature city

The city of museums

Feast days

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

Two illustrious patron saints

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

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

The internal colours

A long reconstruction

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto