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

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

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

A half-Baroque church

New roads for Catania

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

A hall for the feasts

Feast days

A museum to save a tradition

The façade used as a puppet theatre

Discovering the mother church

An eagle-shaped city

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

The Baroque town by the sea

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

Feasting in Palazzolo

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

A new site for a new church

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

Connections with other UNESCO sites

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

A miniature city

A Nobel Prize in Modica

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

A city in colour

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

A square as the heart of the city

Prominent façade

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

The two churches

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

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

Limestone, the colour of harmony

The colours of the cathedral

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

The Staircase of Angels

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

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

Wonderful quick decorations

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

The chocolate of Modica

A prominent church

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

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

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

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

Some prestigious works

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

A small room with a golden entrance

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

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

A symbol for the town

From International Gothic to present day

The senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation

A new site for a new city

Two illustrious patron saints

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

Many owners, one palace

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

A triumph of colour

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

The disastrous earthquake

Between white and black

One city, two sites

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

The theatre of taste

St. Sebastian, so much work!

The wall comes to life

Norman apses

Searching for colour

The Maiolica of the staircase

The Burgos crucifix

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

The internal colours

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

A feast only for Scicli

A long reconstruction

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

A colourful floor

Some masterpieces

Modica, a city with ancient origins

The church of Carmine

A majestic and luminous church

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

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

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

A talking palace

One city, three sites

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

The city of museums

The interior and its masterpieces