Militello in Val di Catania

Feast days

By a bishop’s decree dated 12 July 1909, the 18th of August was chosen as the date to celebrate the Holy Saviour. The celebrations last for days and days and involve all citizens.
It begins on the 8th of August with the day of the “Cantata” (song), where bells are rung and cannon shots fired, followed in the evening by a procession, reminding the citizens that the feast is near and inviting them to prepare. Nine long days go by until the 17th of August, the Eve of the feast. In the morning the local band marches around the streets of the town. In the evening the committee for the festivities goes to the town hall and invites the mayor and the civic and military authorities to join the procession.
At this point, after the mayor’s offering of the votive candle and floral tribute to the saint, the sacred image of the Holy Saviour is unveiled.
The 18th of August is finally here!
The town is awoken by the ringing of bells and the firing of one hundred and one cannon shots, followed by the Pontifical High Mass. In the afternoon the statue of the saint leaves the church and is carried in procession through the streets of Militello. It is festively decorated with long red and white drapes, flowers and small altars. The celebrations don’t end here… The Veglia di preghiera (Prayer Vigil) takes place on the 24th followed by a short procession on the 25th; all of which is accompanied by various sport, recreational and cultural activities to entertain the participants.

The Staircase of Angels

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

From International Gothic to present day

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

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

The city of museums

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

A talking palace

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

The wall comes to life

A Nobel Prize in Modica

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

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

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

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

A small room with a golden entrance

Between white and black

The colours of the cathedral

A symbol for the town

Many owners, one palace

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

Some prestigious works

One city, two sites

The internal colours

A new site for a new church

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

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

Wonderful quick decorations

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

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

Two illustrious patron saints

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

Modica, a city with ancient origins

The theatre of taste

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

The chocolate of Modica

Prominent façade

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

The interior and its masterpieces

An eagle-shaped city

New roads for Catania

The disastrous earthquake

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

A majestic and luminous church

Feast days

The Burgos crucifix

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

Norman apses

A new site for a new city

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

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

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

A colourful floor

A triumph of colour

One city, three sites

A half-Baroque church

Limestone, the colour of harmony

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

Connections with other UNESCO sites

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

A square as the heart of the city

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

Searching for colour

Discovering the mother church

A museum to save a tradition

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

The façade used as a puppet theatre

A hall for the feasts

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

A feast only for Scicli

The two churches

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

The Baroque town by the sea

A city in colour

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

Feasting in Palazzolo

The church of Carmine

A miniature city

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

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

A prominent church

Some masterpieces

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

A long reconstruction

The senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation

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

The Maiolica of the staircase

St. Sebastian, so much work!