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 colourful floor

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

A city in colour

The theatre of taste

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

Searching for colour

St. Sebastian, so much work!

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

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

A half-Baroque church

Norman apses

A Nobel Prize in Modica

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

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

One city, three sites

The disastrous earthquake

Between white and black

A square as the heart of the city

A majestic and luminous church

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

Prominent façade

Connections with other UNESCO sites

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

The senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

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

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

Wonderful quick decorations

A long reconstruction

A miniature city

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

The interior and its masterpieces

One city, two sites

A triumph of colour

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

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

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

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

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

Feast days

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

Many owners, one palace

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

The Baroque town by the sea

A hall for the feasts

Some prestigious works

From International Gothic to present day

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

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

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

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

Modica, a city with ancient origins

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

Limestone, the colour of harmony

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

Some masterpieces

A small room with a golden entrance

A new site for a new church

The Burgos crucifix

An eagle-shaped city

The wall comes to life

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

A new site for a new city

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

The Staircase of Angels

The city of museums

Two illustrious patron saints

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

The Maiolica of the staircase

The church of Carmine

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

The chocolate of Modica

The two churches

A feast only for Scicli

The façade used as a puppet theatre

A talking palace

The internal colours

A prominent church

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

Discovering the mother church

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

A symbol for the town

New roads for Catania

Feasting in Palazzolo

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

The colours of the cathedral

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

A museum to save a tradition