Catania

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

The Giardino dei Novizi (Garden of Novices) is one of the most fascinating places in the monastery.
Over the centuries it has suffered a great deal of damage and experienced various transformations. In 1977 work began to restore the monastery, supervised by architect Giancarlo De Carlo .
The Garden of Novices, as the name suggests, was reserved for those beginning their spiritual journey to become part of the religious order, where they would observe and learn the Benedictine way of life.
The garden was built atop the accumulation of lava after the 1669 eruption; in the 20th century, it was destroyed to make room for a gymnasium that did not last long. The architect  De Carlo recovered the old garden, restored the area, added a spiral staircase and fountain and turned it into a green space open to all.
foto giardino novizi foto dettagli piante giardino

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

Some masterpieces

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

A museum to save a tradition

The wall comes to life

Many owners, one palace

The Maiolica of the staircase

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

The two churches

A half-Baroque church

Connections with other UNESCO sites

The chocolate of Modica

A new site for a new city

A new site for a new church

A city in colour

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

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

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

The church of Carmine

An eagle-shaped city

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

Some prestigious works

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

The disastrous earthquake

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

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

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

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

Searching for colour

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

A triumph of colour

Prominent façade

The Burgos crucifix

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

A talking palace

Between white and black

Limestone, the colour of harmony

A long reconstruction

One city, two sites

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

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

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

Norman apses

The Staircase of Angels

A miniature city

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

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

Discovering the mother church

Feast days

Modica, a city with ancient origins

The theatre of taste

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

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

The interior and its masterpieces

The Baroque town by the sea

A majestic and luminous church

A hall for the feasts

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

From International Gothic to present day

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

A small room with a golden entrance

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

A prominent church

New roads for Catania

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

Two illustrious patron saints

A square as the heart of the city

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

A Nobel Prize in Modica

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

Feasting in Palazzolo

The city of museums

St. Sebastian, so much work!

A symbol for the town

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

One city, three sites

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

The façade used as a puppet theatre

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

The senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

Wonderful quick decorations

The colours of the cathedral

A colourful floor

The internal colours

A feast only for Scicli

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

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo