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

Some masterpieces

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

The city of museums

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

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

A miniature city

New roads for Catania

A talking palace

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

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

Norman apses

The Maiolica of the staircase

A half-Baroque church

A city in colour

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

One city, three sites

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

A new site for a new church

Two illustrious patron saints

The façade used as a puppet theatre

Feasting in Palazzolo

Feast days

St. Sebastian, so much work!

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

Many owners, one palace

A long reconstruction

Wonderful quick decorations

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

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

The two churches

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

The internal colours

One city, two sites

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

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

The Baroque town by the sea

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

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

A museum to save a tradition

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

The wall comes to life

The chocolate of Modica

From International Gothic to present day

The disastrous earthquake

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

The Staircase of Angels

Modica, a city with ancient origins

A new site for a new city

The Burgos crucifix

The colours of the cathedral

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

Between white and black

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

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

Some prestigious works

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

A colourful floor

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

A square as the heart of the city

The senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

A feast only for Scicli

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

A symbol for the town

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

Prominent façade

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

An eagle-shaped city

Discovering the mother church

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

Searching for colour

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

A Nobel Prize in Modica

A triumph of colour

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

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

A hall for the feasts

A prominent church

The interior and its masterpieces

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

Connections with other UNESCO sites

Limestone, the colour of harmony

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

The church of Carmine

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

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

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

The theatre of taste

A majestic and luminous church

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

A small room with a golden entrance