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.

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

The façade used as a puppet theatre

The interior and its masterpieces

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

One city, three sites

The theatre of taste

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

A museum to save a tradition

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

The church of Carmine

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

The Staircase of Angels

The Burgos crucifix

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

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

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

Limestone, the colour of harmony

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

From International Gothic to present day

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

Between white and black

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

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

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

New roads for Catania

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

Connections with other UNESCO sites

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

One city, two sites

A half-Baroque church

Searching for colour

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

A talking palace

A colourful floor

Feasting in Palazzolo

The Baroque town by the sea

A symbol for the town

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

A new site for a new city

Some prestigious works

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

Prominent façade

A new site for a new church

The internal colours

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

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

A hall for the feasts

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

The colours of the cathedral

A miniature city

Some masterpieces

The city of museums

Feast days

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

A square as the heart of the city

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

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

Discovering the mother church

The chocolate of Modica

A triumph of colour

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

The disastrous earthquake

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

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

The senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

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

Modica, a city with ancient origins

The Maiolica of the staircase

Norman apses

St. Sebastian, so much work!

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

Many owners, one palace

The wall comes to life

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

A city in colour

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

A prominent church

Wonderful quick decorations

A small room with a golden entrance

An eagle-shaped city

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

A majestic and luminous church

A feast only for Scicli

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

Two illustrious patron saints

A Nobel Prize in Modica

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

A long reconstruction

The two churches

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

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

The Barresi-Branciforte lords