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.

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

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

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

New roads for Catania

A museum to save a tradition

The Burgos crucifix

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

Limestone, the colour of harmony

A half-Baroque church

The Staircase of Angels

Prominent façade

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

The chocolate of Modica

A city in colour

The senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation

From International Gothic to present day

The interior and its masterpieces

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

A hall for the feasts

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

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

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

A square as the heart of the city

A miniature city

The façade used as a puppet theatre

Some masterpieces

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

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

One city, three sites

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

The Maiolica of the staircase

A triumph of colour

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

Modica, a city with ancient origins

A new site for a new city

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

One city, two sites

The Baroque town by the sea

A feast only for Scicli

Wonderful quick decorations

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

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

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

The colours of the cathedral

Feast days

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

Discovering the mother church

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

The two churches

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

The wall comes to life

A majestic and luminous church

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

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

Between white and black

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

Norman apses

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

The disastrous earthquake

The internal colours

A Nobel Prize in Modica

The city of museums

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

A small room with a golden entrance

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

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

St. Sebastian, so much work!

A new site for a new church

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

Two illustrious patron saints

A long reconstruction

Connections with other UNESCO sites

Feasting in Palazzolo

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

Many owners, one palace

The theatre of taste

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

The church of Carmine

A talking palace

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

A colourful floor

Some prestigious works

A symbol for the town

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

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

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

An eagle-shaped city

Searching for colour

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

A prominent church

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction