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

A hall for the feasts

New roads for Catania

A square as the heart of the city

The senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation

Between white and black

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

A triumph of colour

The disastrous earthquake

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

The interior and its masterpieces

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

A prominent church

Some masterpieces

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

The Maiolica of the staircase

A symbol for the town

Limestone, the colour of harmony

The Staircase of Angels

A feast only for Scicli

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

A museum to save a tradition

The chocolate of Modica

A miniature city

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

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

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

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

A colourful floor

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

The Baroque town by the sea

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

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

A city in colour

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

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

Feasting in Palazzolo

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

A new site for a new church

One city, two sites

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

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

A half-Baroque church

The façade used as a puppet theatre

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

Searching for colour

St. Sebastian, so much work!

The wall comes to life

A small room with a golden entrance

The colours of the cathedral

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 city of museums

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

From International Gothic to present day

Norman apses

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

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

A new site for a new city

Prominent façade

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

The church of Carmine

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

A talking palace

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

A long reconstruction

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

The theatre of taste

One city, three sites

An eagle-shaped city

A majestic and luminous church

The two churches

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

Discovering the mother church

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

A Nobel Prize in Modica

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

Some prestigious works

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

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

Feast days

Many owners, one palace

The internal colours

Two illustrious patron saints

Connections with other UNESCO sites

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

Wonderful quick decorations

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

Modica, a city with ancient origins

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

The Burgos crucifix

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara