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

Prominent façade

The theatre of taste

One city, two sites

A symbol for the town

Discovering the mother church

Feasting in Palazzolo

A colourful floor

The façade used as a puppet theatre

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

The wall comes to life

A half-Baroque church

The Burgos crucifix

A square as the heart of the city

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

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

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

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

A miniature city

The Maiolica of the staircase

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

The chocolate of Modica

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

A hall for the feasts

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

The Staircase of Angels

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

Between white and black

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

The church of Carmine

A Nobel Prize in Modica

An eagle-shaped city

The interior and its masterpieces

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

A triumph of colour

Limestone, the colour of harmony

St. Sebastian, so much work!

The colours of the cathedral

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

New roads for Catania

The internal colours

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

Connections with other UNESCO sites

A majestic and luminous church

A small room with a golden entrance

Two illustrious patron saints

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

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

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

A new site for a new church

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

A new site for a new city

Some prestigious works

A museum to save a tradition

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

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

Some masterpieces

The two churches

From International Gothic to present day

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

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

Feast days

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

Norman apses

A city in colour

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

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

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

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

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

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

One city, three sites

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

Modica, a city with ancient origins

The senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation

A feast only for Scicli

The city of museums

Wonderful quick decorations

Many owners, one palace

The disastrous earthquake

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

A long reconstruction

The Baroque town by the sea

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

A prominent church

A talking palace

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

Searching for colour