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

One city, two sites

A long reconstruction

A talking palace

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

Some masterpieces

The church of Carmine

The disastrous earthquake

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

Two illustrious patron saints

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

The senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

A colourful floor

A prominent church

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

A new site for a new church

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

One city, three sites

A symbol for the town

The interior and its masterpieces

The wall comes to life

Feasting in Palazzolo

A triumph of colour

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

The Staircase of Angels

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

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

Discovering the mother church

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

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

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

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

The Burgos crucifix

The Baroque town by the sea

A new site for a new city

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

Between white and black

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

Searching for colour

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

A city in colour

Limestone, the colour of harmony

The theatre of taste

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

St. Sebastian, so much work!

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

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

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

Some prestigious works

Connections with other UNESCO sites

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

Prominent façade

Modica, a city with ancient origins

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

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

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

The two churches

A small room with a golden entrance

The façade used as a puppet theatre

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

A museum to save a tradition

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

New roads for Catania

A majestic and luminous church

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

The chocolate of Modica

A miniature city

The Maiolica of the staircase

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

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

Wonderful quick decorations

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

A feast only for Scicli

An eagle-shaped city

A square as the heart of the city

Many owners, one palace

The internal colours

Norman apses

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

The city of museums

The colours of the cathedral

A Nobel Prize in Modica

Feast days

From International Gothic to present day

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

A half-Baroque church

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

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

A hall for the feasts

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