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 small room with a golden entrance

A hall for the feasts

The two churches

Modica, a city with ancient origins

The chocolate of Modica

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

Discovering the mother church

A triumph of colour

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

An eagle-shaped city

Feasting in Palazzolo

A square as the heart of the city

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

A new site for a new city

A majestic and luminous church

The city of museums

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

Feast days

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

A feast only for Scicli

Limestone, the colour of harmony

The interior and its masterpieces

A prominent church

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

The church of Carmine

A new site for a new church

A miniature city

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

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

Between white and black

New roads for Catania

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

The colours of the cathedral

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

From International Gothic to present day

Some masterpieces

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

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

Prominent façade

The Staircase of Angels

A museum to save a tradition

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

A long reconstruction

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

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

Searching for colour

The disastrous earthquake

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

Some prestigious works

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

The Baroque town by the sea

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

Norman apses

A Nobel Prize in Modica

The Maiolica of the staircase

The Burgos crucifix

Connections with other UNESCO sites

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

The façade used as a puppet theatre

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

Two illustrious patron saints

A colourful floor

The wall comes to life

One city, two sites

A city in colour

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

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

Many owners, one palace

The internal colours

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

The senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

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

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

Wonderful quick decorations

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

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

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

A talking palace

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

A half-Baroque church

The theatre of taste

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

St. Sebastian, so much work!

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

One city, three sites

A symbol for the town

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento