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

Many owners, one palace

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

The wall comes to life

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

A city in colour

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

Between white and black

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

An eagle-shaped city

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

A small room with a golden entrance

A long reconstruction

Norman apses

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

Feast days

The Maiolica of the staircase

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

A hall for the feasts

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

The theatre of taste

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

Modica, a city with ancient origins

A new site for a new city

Discovering the mother church

The façade used as a puppet theatre

New roads for Catania

The chocolate of Modica

St. Sebastian, so much work!

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

A square as the heart of the city

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

The two churches

The Baroque town by the sea

The internal colours

One city, two sites

The church of Carmine

The senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation

A Nobel Prize in Modica

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

Wonderful quick decorations

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

The Burgos crucifix

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

A new site for a new church

Some masterpieces

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

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

A triumph of colour

A prominent church

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

Feasting in Palazzolo

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

Two illustrious patron saints

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

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

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

From International Gothic to present day

A talking palace

The city of museums

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

Searching for colour

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

A majestic and luminous church

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

Some prestigious works

One city, three sites

Limestone, the colour of harmony

Prominent façade

The disastrous earthquake

A museum to save a tradition

A miniature city

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

The Staircase of Angels

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

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

Connections with other UNESCO sites

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

A colourful floor

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

The interior and its masterpieces

A half-Baroque church

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

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

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

A symbol for the town

A feast only for Scicli

The colours of the cathedral

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?