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

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

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The façade used as a puppet theatre

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A hall for the feasts

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Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

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The disastrous earthquake

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

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Norman apses

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

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The wall comes to life

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

One city, three sites

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

A new site for a new church

Modica, a city with ancient origins

Two illustrious patron saints

A museum to save a tradition

The two churches

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

The theatre of taste

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

A talking palace

A half-Baroque church

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

A prominent church

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

The Staircase of Angels

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

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

The church of Carmine

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

A feast only for Scicli

New roads for Catania

A Nobel Prize in Modica

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

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Feasting in Palazzolo

Some masterpieces

A colourful floor

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

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Between white and black

St. Sebastian, so much work!

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Limestone, the colour of harmony

The Burgos crucifix

The Maiolica of the staircase

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

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

A long reconstruction

Discovering the mother church

The colours of the cathedral

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Many owners, one palace

A small room with a golden entrance

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

A new site for a new city

A miniature city

Connections with other UNESCO sites

Feast days

Prominent façade

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

A majestic and luminous church

A city in colour

The internal colours