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

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

A small room with a golden entrance

A square as the heart of the city

A talking palace

The theatre of taste

A triumph of colour

Feasting in Palazzolo

Discovering the mother church

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

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

The façade used as a puppet theatre

The colours of the cathedral

The wall comes to life

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

The internal colours

Feast days

A new site for a new church

A miniature city

The senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

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

A half-Baroque church

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

A hall for the feasts

St. Sebastian, so much work!

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

A museum to save a tradition

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

Some prestigious works

New roads for Catania

Limestone, the colour of harmony

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

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

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

One city, three sites

The chocolate of Modica

The Staircase of Angels

An eagle-shaped city

A prominent church

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

The interior and its masterpieces

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

A long reconstruction

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

Searching for colour

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

Two illustrious patron saints

The disastrous earthquake

A city in colour

From International Gothic to present day

The church of Carmine

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

Modica, a city with ancient origins

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

The Baroque town by the sea

Between white and black

Prominent façade

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

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

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

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

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

Some masterpieces

A feast only for Scicli

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

The Maiolica of the staircase

Connections with other UNESCO sites

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

A new site for a new city

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

A majestic and luminous church

A Nobel Prize in Modica

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

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

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

The city of museums

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

Norman apses

Wonderful quick decorations

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

One city, two sites

A symbol for the town

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

The Burgos crucifix

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

Many owners, one palace

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

A colourful floor

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

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

The two churches