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 majestic and luminous church

Between white and black

The interior and its masterpieces

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

Discovering the mother church

Norman apses

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

The senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

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

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

The colours of the cathedral

A city in colour

A feast only for Scicli

The internal colours

A square as the heart of the city

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

Some prestigious works

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

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

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

A symbol for the town

A colourful floor

Two illustrious patron saints

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

A museum to save a tradition

The Maiolica of the staircase

The chocolate of Modica

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

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

The city of museums

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

Wonderful quick decorations

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

A talking palace

The Staircase of Angels

St. Sebastian, so much work!

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

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

A hall for the feasts

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

Some masterpieces

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

Modica, a city with ancient origins

A long reconstruction

The wall comes to life

The theatre of taste

The church of Carmine

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

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

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

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

Feast days

One city, three sites

Connections with other UNESCO sites

New roads for Catania

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

The disastrous earthquake

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

A miniature city

Many owners, one palace

The Burgos crucifix

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

One city, two sites

A new site for a new city

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

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

A Nobel Prize in Modica

The façade used as a puppet theatre

An eagle-shaped city

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

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

Feasting in Palazzolo

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

The two churches

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

Limestone, the colour of harmony

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

The Baroque town by the sea

A new site for a new church

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

A small room with a golden entrance

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

Prominent façade

From International Gothic to present day

Searching for colour

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

A prominent church

A half-Baroque church

A triumph of colour