Catania

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

One of the most evocative rooms of the monastery is the kitchen.
foto cucina della portaLike the refectory, antirefectory, library and museum, the space dedicated to preparing food was designed by Giovan Battista Vaccarini and its construction began in 1739.
foto cucina dei benedettiniThe architect had to take into account the rules of monastic architecture, which meant separating the kitchen from the other rooms. This way, if there was a fire, it would not spread to the other rooms.
Similarly, the passageways leading to the refectory as well as being narrow were equipped with multiple barriers.
The kitchen underwent various changes over the years, but the structure has remained the same with the hearths in the centre, a huge brazier placed in an octagonal “chamber”.
The maiolica decorations that enrich the structure create splendid orange and blue squares with a white background of abstract motifs. The floor is just as surprising. Also made with colourful maiolica tiles, it extends across the whole room. However, the floor is not simple or uniform; it is divided into eight parts with two different alternating decorations.
The first is a white floor with fine blue, black and yellow geometric decorations that cover the smaller portions; the other is larger and more colourful, where yellow and green dominate the blue, orange and white decoration. foto Dettaglio maioliche

A symbol for the town

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

A small room with a golden entrance

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

One city, two sites

An eagle-shaped city

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

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

Between white and black

A majestic and luminous church

The internal colours

Wonderful quick decorations

Feasting in Palazzolo

The disastrous earthquake

St. Sebastian, so much work!

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

One city, three sites

Discovering the mother church

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

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

A square as the heart of the city

Two illustrious patron saints

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

The theatre of taste

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

The church of Carmine

The colours of the cathedral

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

A prominent church

Norman apses

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

A new site for a new church

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

A colourful floor

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

Some prestigious works

A half-Baroque church

A talking palace

A new site for a new city

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

The interior and its masterpieces

The senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation

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

A triumph of colour

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

The two churches

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

The Burgos crucifix

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

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

A city in colour

A miniature city

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

A feast only for Scicli

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

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

The Staircase of Angels

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

The façade used as a puppet theatre

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

Modica, a city with ancient origins

A hall for the feasts

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

A museum to save a tradition

Limestone, the colour of harmony

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

A long reconstruction

Connections with other UNESCO sites

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

The wall comes to life

The Baroque town by the sea

A Nobel Prize in Modica

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

New roads for Catania

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

Some masterpieces

The Maiolica of the staircase

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

Many owners, one palace

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

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

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

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

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

The city of museums

The chocolate of Modica

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

From International Gothic to present day

Feast days

Searching for colour

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

Prominent façade