Catania

The interior and its masterpieces

Once inside the church your eye is driven upwards, attracted by the majestic dome decorated in 1842 by Catanese painter Giuseppe Rapisardi. The fresco depicts St. Beryl, the city’s third patron saint , as St. Peter gives him the task of founding the Catanese church.
If you lower your gaze you will then see the gigantic windows, which fill the interior with light, followed by the round-bottomed grilles that allowed the nuns to attend celebrations in the church, and finally the four chapels with the altars.
The first and second of the four altars feature two of the oldest artworks, probably transferred from the old convent: a 14th-century panel depicting a Crucifixion and a painting with St. Anthony the Abbot by Pietro Abadessa from 1643. On the third altar, the first to the right of the entrance, is the painting by Olivio Sozzi from Catania. On the other side there is a sculptural group that represents the Crucifixion, with: Our Lady of Sorrows, John and Mary Magdalene.
Last but not least, we come to the main altar .
The uniqueness of this altar lies in its veritable status as architecture and not mere sculpture. It was created by the sculptor Giovambattista Marino based on a design attributed to Vaccarini .

The Burgos crucifix

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

One city, two sites

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

An eagle-shaped city

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

Some prestigious works

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

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

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

The church of Carmine

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

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

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

A small room with a golden entrance

Searching for colour

A prominent church

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

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

The façade used as a puppet theatre

The Maiolica of the staircase

The colours of the cathedral

The Baroque town by the sea

New roads for Catania

A majestic and luminous church

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

Some masterpieces

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

Wonderful quick decorations

Many owners, one palace

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

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

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

The interior and its masterpieces

A half-Baroque church

Norman apses

Limestone, the colour of harmony

A square as the heart of the city

A long reconstruction

The chocolate of Modica

A triumph of colour

Two illustrious patron saints

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

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

Discovering the mother church

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

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

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

The theatre of taste

The wall comes to life

A colourful floor

The senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

Connections with other UNESCO sites

The two churches

A miniature city

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

A museum to save a tradition

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

A symbol for the town

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

Modica, a city with ancient origins

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

A hall for the feasts

Between white and black

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

A Nobel Prize in Modica

From International Gothic to present day

The internal colours

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

A new site for a new city

One city, three sites

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

A feast only for Scicli

The city of museums

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

The disastrous earthquake

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

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

A city in colour

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

A new site for a new church

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

Feasting in Palazzolo

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

St. Sebastian, so much work!

Feast days

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

A talking palace

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

Prominent façade

The Staircase of Angels

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

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