Catania

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

sight
The façade with a play on colour

foto bicromiaOf all the wonders of Piazza Duomo, the cathedral certainly does not go unnoticed.
Thanks to a play on colour between the white limestone and grey lava stone, the façade figures prominently in the square.
The two colours alternate with one another to create a perfect harmony that adds liveliness to the façade.
The colours are not always the same; at different times of the day they shine differently depending on the light.

touch
Coarse to smooth, hot to cold

Look but don’t touch! How many times have you heard this said in museums or churches?
But if you could touch each material that made up the church you would notice how different they are; starting with the pillars that separate the central nave from the lateral naves, the former in lava stone and the latter in white limestone.
On a hot summer day, the outside walls will be much warmer than those inside, which will be undoubtedly cold.

hearing
Music in the Cathedral

foto dell'organo l'interno della cattedraleThe church has an unbreakable bond with music.
The cathedral of St. Agatha is not only home to a magnificent organ, now located above the entrance, but the tomb of the musician Vincenzo Bellini (1801-1835).
Though he died very young, he was recognised as one of the greatest composers of his time.
The artist’s tomb was created in 1876 by Giovanni Battista Tassara and is located next to one of the pillars of the right nave.
Bellini was initially buried in Paris at the Père Lachaise Cemetery.

taste
A dessert for a saint

During the feast dedicated to St. Agatha, the “Minne di Sant’Agata”, a dessert made in her honour, are another must.
The shape is unambiguously reminiscent of a woman’s breast, in memory of the terrible martyrdom suffered by the saint.
The dessert consists of a shortcrust pastry shell covered with white icing with a candied cherry on top; the filling is made with sweetened sheep’s milk ricotta, candied fruit and dark chocolate. Yum! Not to be missed if you happen to be in Catania during the feast. foto dei dolci delle minne di Sant'Agata

One city, two sites

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

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

A miniature city

Searching for colour

A long reconstruction

The theatre of taste

Between white and black

A half-Baroque church

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

Limestone, the colour of harmony

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

Discovering the mother church

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

A museum to save a tradition

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

The colours of the cathedral

A talking palace

Modica, a city with ancient origins

Norman apses

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

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

One city, three sites

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

New roads for Catania

The disastrous earthquake

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

A square as the heart of the city

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

Prominent façade

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

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

The Staircase of Angels

Feast days

A feast only for Scicli

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

An eagle-shaped city

A majestic and luminous church

The internal colours

The Baroque town by the sea

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

Some prestigious works

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

A new site for a new city

Two illustrious patron saints

Connections with other UNESCO sites

A symbol for the town

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

A prominent church

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

A new site for a new church

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

A triumph of colour

The city of museums

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

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

The wall comes to life

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

Many owners, one palace

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

The church of Carmine

The Burgos crucifix

A small room with a golden entrance

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

The façade used as a puppet theatre

The interior and its masterpieces

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

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

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

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

Feasting in Palazzolo

The two churches

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Some masterpieces

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

From International Gothic to present day

A Nobel Prize in Modica

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

Wonderful quick decorations

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

The Maiolica of the staircase

St. Sebastian, so much work!

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

A city in colour

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

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

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

A hall for the feasts

The chocolate of Modica

A colourful floor