Catania

The disastrous earthquake

The city of Catania is located in eastern Sicily, overlooking the Ionian Sea, and lies on the slopes of Mount Etna.
veduta EtnaThe people of Catania are deeply attached to the volcano, a symbol of the city, but it is also the cause of immense disasters such as the eruption in 1669.
In 1693, a violent earthquake struck Catania and destroyed it completely; only the walls, fortifications and some ancient buildings survived. The people of Catania then had two options: abandon the old city forever, or focus their energies on rebuilding it on the same site.
Given its strategic position for trade between the coast and further inland, they decided not to change location and so began an extraordinary rebirth.
All state, religious and secular authorities participated in the reconstruction, demonstrating remarkable organisational capacity.
Under the supervision of the Duke of Camastra , a reconstruction and restructuring plan was implemented, which still forms the urban fabric of Catania today. The current Piazza Duomo was recognised as the central point around which the new main roads were designed.

The senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation

Modica, a city with ancient origins

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

The interior and its masterpieces

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

Feast days

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

A colourful floor

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

A museum to save a tradition

A square as the heart of the city

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

The city of museums

A feast only for Scicli

The Maiolica of the staircase

Norman apses

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

Some prestigious works

A hall for the feasts

A talking palace

The church of Carmine

The façade used as a puppet theatre

Limestone, the colour of harmony

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

The disastrous earthquake

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

From International Gothic to present day

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

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

New roads for Catania

The internal colours

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

Discovering the mother church

The two churches

A small room with a golden entrance

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

Wonderful quick decorations

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

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

One city, two sites

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

A long reconstruction

Two illustrious patron saints

A new site for a new city

An eagle-shaped city

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

Prominent façade

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

Between white and black

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

A new site for a new church

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

The wall comes to life

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

A miniature city

St. Sebastian, so much work!

Searching for colour

A triumph of colour

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

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

Feasting in Palazzolo

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

A prominent church

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

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

A Nobel Prize in Modica

A half-Baroque church

The colours of the cathedral

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

Some masterpieces

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

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

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

One city, three sites

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

The theatre of taste

A city in colour

A symbol for the town

The Staircase of Angels

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

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

The chocolate of Modica

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

Many owners, one palace

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

A majestic and luminous church

The Baroque town by the sea

Connections with other UNESCO sites

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

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

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

The Burgos crucifix