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 senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

A talking palace

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

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

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

A triumph of colour

A long reconstruction

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

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

A majestic and luminous church

New roads for Catania

Two illustrious patron saints

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

Some prestigious works

Searching for colour

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

Discovering the mother church

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

Feasting in Palazzolo

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

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

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

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

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

One city, two sites

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

Many owners, one palace

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

A new site for a new city

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

Prominent façade

A museum to save a tradition

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

An eagle-shaped city

A small room with a golden entrance

Norman apses

Feast days

The Staircase of Angels

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

St. Sebastian, so much work!

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

Between white and black

The internal colours

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

A square as the heart of the city

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

The disastrous earthquake

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

The two churches

Limestone, the colour of harmony

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

The church of Carmine

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

Connections with other UNESCO sites

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

The interior and its masterpieces

The Burgos crucifix

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

The Maiolica of the staircase

The façade used as a puppet theatre

From International Gothic to present day

Wonderful quick decorations

A miniature city

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

A city in colour

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

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

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

A symbol for the town

A colourful floor

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

A prominent church

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

The wall comes to life

Some masterpieces

The colours of the cathedral

A new site for a new church

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

One city, three sites

The senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation

The chocolate of Modica

A hall for the feasts

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

A feast only for Scicli

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

A half-Baroque church

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

The theatre of taste

A Nobel Prize in Modica

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

Modica, a city with ancient origins

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

The Baroque town by the sea

The city of museums

The Barresi-Branciforte lords