Militello in Val di Catania

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

hearing
Sound on

The feast for the Holy Saviour of Militello involves its citizens and also attracts inhabitants from nearby villages and tourists: everyone is invited!
During the celebrations the most diverse sounds can be heard: cannon shots announcing the approaching feast; bells ringing to alert citizens of the beginning of the festivities; voices of the participants, the local band, and the prayers of the processions.
It’s impossible not to feel involved in the festivities, with each sound reminiscent of a precise moment.

sight
And then comes red…

The church interior looks like a white canvas with strokes of colour from the frescoes and stucco decorations that create plays of light and shadow.
The delicate white walls were combined with a white and grey chequered floor, with a geometric design formed of straight lines in an excellent contrast with the walls.
These delicate tones are enlivened during the feast of the Holy Saviour; long red drapes decorate the nave and the interior is transformed by colour!

smell
The memory of smell

The smell of the candle offered by the mayor and the scent of the flowers that adorn the streets are unmistakable, inevitable parts of the feast of the Holy Saviour.
These smells remain imprinted in the memory of young and old people alike, and whenever you catch a hint of them, they bring to mind moments of celebration and joy.

taste
Quince paste for the Holy Saviour

The feast of the Santissimo Salvatore (Holy Saviour) is also an opportunity to eat some typical sweets such as cognata (quince paste).
The recipe is very simple and requires only three ingredients: quince, sugar and lemon.
The ingredients are cooked using the same process as jam and placed in moulds for the mixture to solidify into a gelatinous consistency.
Special moulds in the shape of a globe with a cross on top are used for the feast of the Holy Saviour. La cotognata

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

The façade used as a puppet theatre

A Nobel Prize in Modica

Prominent façade

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

The theatre of taste

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

The church of Carmine

A new site for a new city

The two churches

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The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

From International Gothic to present day

Two illustrious patron saints

A talking palace

The wall comes to life

A triumph of colour

The Burgos crucifix

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Modica, a city with ancient origins

St. Sebastian, so much work!

A museum to save a tradition

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

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

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

A new site for a new church

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

Between white and black

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

Many owners, one palace

Some prestigious works

A small room with a golden entrance

An eagle-shaped city

Feast days

The interior and its masterpieces

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

Some masterpieces

One city, three sites

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

Norman apses

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

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The disastrous earthquake

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The Baroque town by the sea

A majestic and luminous church

A city in colour

A feast only for Scicli

Discovering the mother church

Wonderful quick decorations

New roads for Catania

Feasting in Palazzolo

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

A long reconstruction

The city of museums

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

Searching for colour

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

A square as the heart of the city

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

The chocolate of Modica

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

A hall for the feasts

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

A symbol for the town

A miniature city

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

A prominent church

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

The internal colours

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

The colours of the cathedral

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

Limestone, the colour of harmony

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

A colourful floor

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

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

One city, two sites

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

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

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

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

A half-Baroque church

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

The Maiolica of the staircase

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

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

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

The Staircase of Angels

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

Connections with other UNESCO sites

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca