Catania

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

The church of San Giuliano (St. Julian) has a majestic white marble façade protected by a tall wrought iron gate.
foto con i tre portali
One of the structure’s most characteristic elements is undoubtedly the belly of the central section. The façade is also divided into two levels: the first contains the portals, but only the middle one grants access to the church; the second features seven louvre , windows, with the largest in the centre. The marble façade contrasts with the large octagon of the dark grey lava stone dome. A white stone loggia was built on it, which allowed the nuns to admire the city, and above all to watch the procession of St. Agatha passing along Via dei Crociferi.
foto particolare timpano su facciata  foto della parte alta tamburo ottagonale
The interior was enchanting! Plays of light and colour create an incredible atmosphere in the church.
Small and cosy thanks to the Greek cross central plan , the church floor immediately catches the eye, with white and red geometric designs. The white walls are illuminated by gold which outlines the edges and the most important elements. The church was also enriched by four chapels whose artwork broke up the white of the walls.

The internal colours

The two churches

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

An eagle-shaped city

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

The theatre of taste

From International Gothic to present day

Limestone, the colour of harmony

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

A symbol for the town

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

A square as the heart of the city

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

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

Some masterpieces

A majestic and luminous church

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

A Nobel Prize in Modica

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

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

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

Feasting in Palazzolo

Discovering the mother church

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

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

One city, two sites

The Baroque town by the sea

A triumph of colour

The Staircase of Angels

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

The colours of the cathedral

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

Between white and black

A small room with a golden entrance

Modica, a city with ancient origins

The disastrous earthquake

Many owners, one palace

A feast only for Scicli

Some prestigious works

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

A new site for a new church

A hall for the feasts

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

The Burgos crucifix

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

Wonderful quick decorations

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

A half-Baroque church

The façade used as a puppet theatre

A museum to save a tradition

St. Sebastian, so much work!

A new site for a new city

A miniature city

Norman apses

Connections with other UNESCO sites

One city, three sites

Prominent façade

Feast days

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

The wall comes to life

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

A prominent church

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

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

New roads for Catania

The senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation

The interior and its masterpieces

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

Two illustrious patron saints

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

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

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

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

The chocolate of Modica

The city of museums

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

The Maiolica of the staircase

A city in colour

Searching for colour

A colourful floor

The church of Carmine

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

A long reconstruction

A talking palace