Catania

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

The church of San Giuliano (St. Julian) has a majestic white marble façade protected by a tall wrought iron gate.
foto con i tre portali
One of the structure’s most characteristic elements is undoubtedly the belly of the central section. The façade is also divided into two levels: the first contains the portals, but only the middle one grants access to the church; the second features seven louvre , windows, with the largest in the centre. The marble façade contrasts with the large octagon of the dark grey lava stone dome. A white stone loggia was built on it, which allowed the nuns to admire the city, and above all to watch the procession of St. Agatha passing along Via dei Crociferi.
foto particolare timpano su facciata  foto della parte alta tamburo ottagonale
The interior was enchanting! Plays of light and colour create an incredible atmosphere in the church.
Small and cosy thanks to the Greek cross central plan , the church floor immediately catches the eye, with white and red geometric designs. The white walls are illuminated by gold which outlines the edges and the most important elements. The church was also enriched by four chapels whose artwork broke up the white of the walls.

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

Searching for colour

The theatre of taste

A half-Baroque church

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

A triumph of colour

A feast only for Scicli

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

The colours of the cathedral

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

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

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

A hall for the feasts

A Nobel Prize in Modica

One city, two sites

A new site for a new city

Some prestigious works

A museum to save a tradition

The Maiolica of the staircase

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

Norman apses

An eagle-shaped city

The chocolate of Modica

Feast days

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

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

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

New roads for Catania

The wall comes to life

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

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

A prominent church

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

The internal colours

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

A city in colour

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

Many owners, one palace

Prominent façade

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

Wonderful quick decorations

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

A talking palace

The disastrous earthquake

A majestic and luminous church

The façade used as a puppet theatre

Some masterpieces

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

A miniature city

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

The Burgos crucifix

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

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

From International Gothic to present day

The city of museums

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

Connections with other UNESCO sites

A small room with a golden entrance

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

Discovering the mother church

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

A new site for a new church

The Staircase of Angels

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

One city, three sites

The Baroque town by the sea

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

The church of Carmine

A symbol for the town

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

The two churches

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

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

A square as the heart of the city

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

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

The interior and its masterpieces

Between white and black

Modica, a city with ancient origins

The senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

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

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

Limestone, the colour of harmony

St. Sebastian, so much work!

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

Feasting in Palazzolo

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

Two illustrious patron saints

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

A long reconstruction

A colourful floor

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

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