Caltagirone

A colourful floor

The interior of the church of Santa Chiara (St. Claire) is surprising for the brightness with which it welcomes us.
The delicate colour of the walls, a very light orange, combined with the white capitals is also found in the corbels that support the louvre galleries;
The white sandstone capitals support the wooden structures, which are lacquered with a gentle sky blue colour and embellished with gold-coloured silver leaves. But what is most striking is the splendid maiolica floor that covers the church.

foto tribunetta di legno  foto ampia porzione del pavimento

foto delle tribunette, gelosie

The floor that can be admired today in Caltagirone is not the original one.
The first floor was created in 1749 by the potter Francesco Branciforte from Caltagirone, funded by the Bonanno del Polino family.
The family coat of arms was inserted in the middle of the maiolica tile design.
In 1886, following the Italian Unification, the monastic orders lost their properties.
The church of Santa Chiara (St. Claire) remained open and was maintained thanks to the generosity of Gaetano Bonanno di Polino, then his daughter, the Marquise Bonanno.
In 1942, the family gave the church away. In 1952, the floor was replaced. It was rebuilt using the same technique and copying the old design, in memory of the Bonanno family.
Yellow, green and turquoise stand out from the white background, creating a floral motif on the floor with a two-headed eagle in the middle containing the family crest.

The church of Santa Chiara
The church of Santa Chiara is located in Via Giovanni Bosco and among the wonders that are located there is a beautiful pavement. In the center there is the coat of arms of the Bonanno family of Polino who financed the work. On a white background is drawn a large floral pattern with bright yellow, green and turquoise colors. At the center in honor of the family Bonanno del Polino was represented a two-headed eagle that contains the family crest. Given the perfect state of preservation it should be remembered that this is not the original flooring of 1749, but is a remake of 1952.
The character of Badia Sant’Agata

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

Between white and black

Wonderful quick decorations

The disastrous earthquake

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

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

A long reconstruction

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

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

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

Limestone, the colour of harmony

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

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

A square as the heart of the city

Searching for colour

Feasting in Palazzolo

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

New roads for Catania

The wall comes to life

Modica, a city with ancient origins

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

The church of Carmine

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

A feast only for Scicli

Many owners, one palace

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

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

Feast days

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

A prominent church

The internal colours

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

A symbol for the town

A triumph of colour

The Burgos crucifix

A new site for a new church

One city, two sites

A hall for the feasts

The city of museums

From International Gothic to present day

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

A city in colour

The senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation

The façade used as a puppet theatre

Some masterpieces

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

A miniature city

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

An eagle-shaped city

A majestic and luminous church

Norman apses

A Nobel Prize in Modica

The colours of the cathedral

Connections with other UNESCO sites

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

Two illustrious patron saints

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

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

A half-Baroque church

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

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

A colourful floor

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

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

A new site for a new city

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

The Maiolica of the staircase

Discovering the mother church

St. Sebastian, so much work!

A museum to save a tradition

The theatre of taste

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

The two churches

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

The chocolate of Modica

One city, three sites

The Staircase of Angels

The Baroque town by the sea

The interior and its masterpieces

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

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

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

A small room with a golden entrance

Prominent façade

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

A talking palace

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

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

Some prestigious works