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 disastrous earthquake

A symbol for the town

A half-Baroque church

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

New roads for Catania

A miniature city

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

A new site for a new church

A triumph of colour

Wonderful quick decorations

Norman apses

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

The Burgos crucifix

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

The senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation

The Maiolica of the staircase

Feasting in Palazzolo

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

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

A long reconstruction

The wall comes to life

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

A hall for the feasts

The colours of the cathedral

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

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

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

The internal colours

A talking palace

One city, two sites

Searching for colour

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

Modica, a city with ancient origins

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

One city, three sites

The two churches

A Nobel Prize in Modica

The church of Carmine

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

Many owners, one palace

A city in colour

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

The façade used as a puppet theatre

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

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

Some masterpieces

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

A prominent church

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

A museum to save a tradition

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

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

Some prestigious works

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

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

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

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

Two illustrious patron saints

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

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

The Baroque town by the sea

Limestone, the colour of harmony

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

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

Prominent façade

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

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

The theatre of taste

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

The interior and its masterpieces

An eagle-shaped city

The city of museums

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

A new site for a new city

Discovering the mother church

The Staircase of Angels

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

Feast days

Between white and black

From International Gothic to present day

St. Sebastian, so much work!

A feast only for Scicli

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

A colourful floor

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

A square as the heart of the city

The chocolate of Modica

A majestic and luminous church

A small room with a golden entrance

Connections with other UNESCO sites