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

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A triumph of colour

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

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

A feast only for Scicli

The colours of the cathedral

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

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The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

Feast days

A prominent church

A museum to save a tradition

A majestic and luminous church

An eagle-shaped city

Discovering the mother church

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

The interior and its masterpieces

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

The Maiolica of the staircase

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

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The Staircase of Angels

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A new site for a new church

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The two churches

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

A talking palace

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A city in colour

The wall comes to life

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Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

Searching for colour

Wonderful quick decorations

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

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St. Sebastian, so much work!

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The internal colours

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

The church of Carmine

Some prestigious works

A square as the heart of the city

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

From International Gothic to present day

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

Feasting in Palazzolo

A miniature city

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

Some masterpieces

New roads for Catania

Limestone, the colour of harmony

Connections with other UNESCO sites

Norman apses

The disastrous earthquake

The city of museums

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

Two illustrious patron saints

A small room with a golden entrance

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

A new site for a new city

Modica, a city with ancient origins

Many owners, one palace

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

Between white and black

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

A symbol for the town

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

The chocolate of Modica

A Nobel Prize in Modica

The theatre of taste

The Baroque town by the sea

A colourful floor

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

One city, three sites

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

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

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

A hall for the feasts

One city, two sites

Prominent façade

A long reconstruction

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

The façade used as a puppet theatre

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

A half-Baroque church

The Burgos crucifix

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca