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 senses tell the story of the Church of San Giovanni Evangelista

A miniature city

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

Feasting in Palazzolo

Feast days

A new site for a new church

The colours of the cathedral

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

The Maiolica of the staircase

The disastrous earthquake

The internal colours

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

From International Gothic to present day

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

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

A square as the heart of the city

The Burgos crucifix

The interior and its masterpieces

Discovering the mother church

A feast only for Scicli

A hall for the feasts

Two illustrious patron saints

The church of Carmine

Some prestigious works

The Staircase of Angels

Norman apses

A small room with a golden entrance

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

A museum to save a tradition

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

The city of museums

A city in colour

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

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

Between white and black

A Nobel Prize in Modica

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

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

One city, three sites

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

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

An eagle-shaped city

The chocolate of Modica

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

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

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

Some masterpieces

The senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation

St. Sebastian, so much work!

The theatre of taste

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

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

A symbol for the town

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

A prominent church

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

The Baroque town by the sea

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

Prominent façade

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

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

One city, two sites

The façade used as a puppet theatre

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

A majestic and luminous church

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

The two churches

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

A long reconstruction

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

Limestone, the colour of harmony

Searching for colour

A triumph of colour

A new site for a new city

New roads for Catania

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

Modica, a city with ancient origins

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

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

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

Many owners, one palace

Wonderful quick decorations

A half-Baroque church

A colourful floor

The wall comes to life

Connections with other UNESCO sites

A talking palace