Catania

A miniature city

foto portale ingressoThe Benedictine monastery of Catania, with its long history, is also known as “the city within the city”. Its large size and dozens of activities taking place inside make it seem like a small city, bordered by large walls and capable of interesting cultural exchange with the surrounding urban fabric.
Since the 1970s it has been the seat of the Faculty of Literature, Language and Philosophy of the University of Catania.
Today the monastery is accessed via the surrounding wall through a majestic portal that leads into the large courtyard surrounding the Abbey, passing the main staircase in Carrara marble with ninety-five steps.
It is a remarkable piece of architecture with a white staircase, walls decorated with gypsum bas-reliefs and stuccoes that accentuate the play on light and shadow, thus creating an elegant two-toned effect.
It leads to the corridors that bring us to the monks’ cells and the two cloisters.
The first cloister, to the east, is surrounded by a splendid portico in white Syracuse stone raised on a dark base and enhanced in the centre by the caffeaos (coffee house). The second cloister was rebuilt after the earthquake of 1693 and features a stark contrast between the dark plaster wall and the fifty-two white marble columns on the lower storey.
the centre, the majestic marble fountain offers a focal point for the space.foto scalone da pianerottolo volte piano superiore

Norman apses

Between white and black

St. Sebastian, so much work!

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

A small room with a golden entrance

One city, two sites

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

A symbol for the town

Connections with other UNESCO sites

A city in colour

A miniature city

A majestic and luminous church

A new site for a new city

The church of Carmine

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

Wonderful quick decorations

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

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

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

The façade used as a puppet theatre

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

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

Prominent façade

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

Some masterpieces

From International Gothic to present day

New roads for Catania

The two churches

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

The Baroque town by the sea

The Staircase of Angels

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

Searching for colour

Two illustrious patron saints

Some prestigious works

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

Many owners, one palace

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

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

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

The city of museums

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

Feasting in Palazzolo

A square as the heart of the city

The disastrous earthquake

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

A museum to save a tradition

The theatre of taste

The Burgos crucifix

A feast only for Scicli

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

The chocolate of Modica

A new site for a new church

A prominent church

A talking palace

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

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

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

The internal colours

The wall comes to life

The senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation

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

A half-Baroque church

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

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

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

The interior and its masterpieces

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

A triumph of colour

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

A colourful floor

Limestone, the colour of harmony

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

The Maiolica of the staircase

A Nobel Prize in Modica

A long reconstruction

Discovering the mother church

One city, three sites

A hall for the feasts

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

Feast days

Modica, a city with ancient origins

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

An eagle-shaped city

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

The colours of the cathedral