Catania

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

One of the most evocative rooms of the monastery is the kitchen.
foto cucina della portaLike the refectory, antirefectory, library and museum, the space dedicated to preparing food was designed by Giovan Battista Vaccarini and its construction began in 1739.
foto cucina dei benedettiniThe architect had to take into account the rules of monastic architecture, which meant separating the kitchen from the other rooms. This way, if there was a fire, it would not spread to the other rooms.
Similarly, the passageways leading to the refectory as well as being narrow were equipped with multiple barriers.
The kitchen underwent various changes over the years, but the structure has remained the same with the hearths in the centre, a huge brazier placed in an octagonal “chamber”.
The maiolica decorations that enrich the structure create splendid orange and blue squares with a white background of abstract motifs. The floor is just as surprising. Also made with colourful maiolica tiles, it extends across the whole room. However, the floor is not simple or uniform; it is divided into eight parts with two different alternating decorations.
The first is a white floor with fine blue, black and yellow geometric decorations that cover the smaller portions; the other is larger and more colourful, where yellow and green dominate the blue, orange and white decoration. foto Dettaglio maioliche

New roads for Catania

The church of Carmine

Some prestigious works

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

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

A long reconstruction

Limestone, the colour of harmony

The internal colours

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

The wall comes to life

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Two illustrious patron saints

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

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

The city of museums

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

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A new palace for the La Rocca lords

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The two churches

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

St. Sebastian, so much work!

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

Feasting in Palazzolo

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

The interior and its masterpieces

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The disastrous earthquake

A Nobel Prize in Modica

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

A square as the heart of the city

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

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

Some masterpieces

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

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

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

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

Many owners, one palace

Searching for colour

Norman apses

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

A small room with a golden entrance

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Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

From International Gothic to present day

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

A symbol for the town

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

Feast days

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

A new site for a new church

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

The Maiolica of the staircase

The Burgos crucifix

Wonderful quick decorations

A majestic and luminous church

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

A half-Baroque church

A prominent church

A museum to save a tradition

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

Connections with other UNESCO sites

A colourful floor

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

Between white and black

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

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

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

The Baroque town by the sea

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

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

The Staircase of Angels

The façade used as a puppet theatre

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

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The character of Badia Sant’Agata

The colours of the cathedral

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

A miniature city

A talking palace

A city in colour

The senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

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A hall for the feasts

Prominent façade

A triumph of colour

The theatre of taste

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One city, three sites

The chocolate of Modica

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara