Scicli

A triumph of colour

The entrance to San Giovanni Evangelista (St. John the Evangelist) is through a long, narrow and dark antechamber which gives onto a large, wide and bright oval hall. The colourful interior decorations embellish and characterise the room. Blue features prominently, like a ribbon tying the space together. The walls are embellished with golden stucco decorations that shine and sparkle whenever a ray of sunshine hits them.

ingresso verso altare dettaglio finestre, trabeazione, putti
The church is also made brighter by the large windows that open onto the vault, whose colourful glass filters yellow, green and blue light.

dettaglio finestre, trabeazione, putti dettaglio finestra

 A wonderful 19th-century fresco with the Glory of St. Benedict completes the vault, and a whirlwind of angels welcomes the saint among the blessed. Once in the final part of the church, the area of the apse is a triumph of gold; a brilliant decoration illuminates the space reserved for liturgical services. At the end, a beautiful aedicula , behind the altar guards the statue of Our Lady of Sorrows, which completes the decorative display.

Zoom zona dell’ abside
zona dell’ abside

La volta La statua della cappella

The disastrous earthquake

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

A hall for the feasts

Between white and black

One city, two sites

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

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

New roads for Catania

Searching for colour

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

A prominent church

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

The two churches

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

The colours of the cathedral

Modica, a city with ancient origins

A majestic and luminous church

The chocolate of Modica

The internal colours

Norman apses

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

The interior and its masterpieces

A colourful floor

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

The façade used as a puppet theatre

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

A city in colour

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

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

A square as the heart of the city

A new site for a new church

A talking palace

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

The Baroque town by the sea

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

A symbol for the town

Connections with other UNESCO sites

The church of Carmine

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

Feasting in Palazzolo

St. Sebastian, so much work!

Many owners, one palace

A Nobel Prize in Modica

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

A small room with a golden entrance

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

The senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

Some prestigious works

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

A triumph of colour

The wall comes to life

The Maiolica of the staircase

One city, three sites

A long reconstruction

The Burgos crucifix

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

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

Feast days

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

Prominent façade

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

The city of museums

A new site for a new city

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

The Staircase of Angels

Two illustrious patron saints

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

The theatre of taste

A half-Baroque church

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

Some masterpieces

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

A museum to save a tradition

An eagle-shaped city

From International Gothic to present day

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

A feast only for Scicli

Wonderful quick decorations

Limestone, the colour of harmony

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

Discovering the mother church

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

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

A miniature city