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 interior and its masterpieces

Connections with other UNESCO sites

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

St. Sebastian, so much work!

A miniature city

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

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

From International Gothic to present day

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

The disastrous earthquake

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

The chocolate of Modica

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

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

The two churches

A museum to save a tradition

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

Norman apses

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

A Nobel Prize in Modica

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

The façade used as a puppet theatre

One city, two sites

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

A small room with a golden entrance

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

A talking palace

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

Limestone, the colour of harmony

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

Some prestigious works

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

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

Wonderful quick decorations

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

Feast days

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

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

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

The Burgos crucifix

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

New roads for Catania

A new site for a new church

A triumph of colour

The theatre of taste

A square as the heart of the city

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

A colourful floor

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

The wall comes to life

A majestic and luminous church

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

Prominent façade

The senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

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

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

A half-Baroque church

A hall for the feasts

A prominent church

A long reconstruction

Some masterpieces

Modica, a city with ancient origins

A feast only for Scicli

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

The internal colours

Searching for colour

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

A new site for a new city

The church of Carmine

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

Discovering the mother church

Many owners, one palace

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

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

Two illustrious patron saints

The colours of the cathedral

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

An eagle-shaped city

A symbol for the town

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

The city of museums

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

Feasting in Palazzolo

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

One city, three sites

The Staircase of Angels

The Maiolica of the staircase

A city in colour

The Baroque town by the sea

Between white and black