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

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

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

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

A city in colour

Searching for colour

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

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

Wonderful quick decorations

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

A small room with a golden entrance

The Staircase of Angels

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

The disastrous earthquake

The Burgos crucifix

The city of museums

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

Limestone, the colour of harmony

The senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

The colours of the cathedral

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

Modica, a city with ancient origins

A symbol for the town

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

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

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

A triumph of colour

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

A Nobel Prize in Modica

A hall for the feasts

Norman apses

The façade used as a puppet theatre

A feast only for Scicli

A colourful floor

Feasting in Palazzolo

New roads for Catania

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

A miniature city

A majestic and luminous church

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

Prominent façade

The interior and its masterpieces

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

A talking palace

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

A square as the heart of the city

From International Gothic to present day

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

An eagle-shaped city

The theatre of taste

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

The Baroque town by the sea

St. Sebastian, so much work!

The wall comes to life

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

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

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

A half-Baroque church

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

A museum to save a tradition

Two illustrious patron saints

The two churches

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

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

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

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

A prominent church

Many owners, one palace

One city, three sites

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

Feast days

Some masterpieces

A long reconstruction

Between white and black

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

The internal colours

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

A new site for a new city

Discovering the mother church

A new site for a new church

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

The Maiolica of the staircase

The church of Carmine

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

The chocolate of Modica

Some prestigious works

One city, two sites

Connections with other UNESCO sites