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

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

The wall comes to life

Two illustrious patron saints

Discovering the mother church

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

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

Searching for colour

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

The Baroque town by the sea

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

Connections with other UNESCO sites

The theatre of taste

The senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

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

Feast days

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

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

The chocolate of Modica

A new site for a new city

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

The Burgos crucifix

A talking palace

Norman apses

A triumph of colour

The internal colours

A prominent church

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

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

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

The Staircase of Angels

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

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

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

A majestic and luminous church

The Maiolica of the staircase

The two churches

A hall for the feasts

Some masterpieces

One city, three sites

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

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

A museum to save a tradition

The disastrous earthquake

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

Limestone, the colour of harmony

A miniature city

A symbol for the town

The façade used as a puppet theatre

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

A square as the heart of the city

An eagle-shaped city

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

A feast only for Scicli

A colourful floor

A small room with a golden entrance

A long reconstruction

New roads for Catania

The colours of the cathedral

One city, two sites

A city in colour

A new site for a new church

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

Wonderful quick decorations

A Nobel Prize in Modica

From International Gothic to present day

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

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

Some prestigious works

A half-Baroque church

St. Sebastian, so much work!

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

Modica, a city with ancient origins

Between white and black

The interior and its masterpieces

Feasting in Palazzolo

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

The city of museums

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

The church of Carmine

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

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

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

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

Many owners, one palace

Prominent façade

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

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

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara