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

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

The internal colours

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

Modica, a city with ancient origins

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

Feasting in Palazzolo

Some prestigious works

The chocolate of Modica

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

The disastrous earthquake

The Burgos crucifix

A feast only for Scicli

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

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

A new site for a new church

Wonderful quick decorations

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

Discovering the mother church

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

A Nobel Prize in Modica

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

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

The colours of the cathedral

Searching for colour

The interior and its masterpieces

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

The city of museums

Two illustrious patron saints

The Staircase of Angels

A small room with a golden entrance

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

The Maiolica of the staircase

The Baroque town by the sea

A colourful floor

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

Norman apses

A symbol for the town

New roads for Catania

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

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

Feast days

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

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

A new site for a new city

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

Prominent façade

A half-Baroque church

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

The church of Carmine

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

One city, two sites

A museum to save a tradition

A triumph of colour

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

The senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation

From International Gothic to present day

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

Limestone, the colour of harmony

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

Some masterpieces

A long reconstruction

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

The wall comes to life

Between white and black

The theatre of taste

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

A square as the heart of the city

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

A miniature city

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

A prominent church

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

St. Sebastian, so much work!

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

A city in colour

An eagle-shaped city

One city, three sites

A majestic and luminous church

A hall for the feasts

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

Connections with other UNESCO sites

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

A talking palace

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

Many owners, one palace

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

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

The façade used as a puppet theatre

The two churches