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

The Burgos crucifix

Feasting in Palazzolo

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

The Staircase of Angels

New roads for Catania

St. Sebastian, so much work!

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

Searching for colour

Feast days

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

A long reconstruction

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The internal colours

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The Barresi-Branciforte lords

A prominent church

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

One city, two sites

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Norman apses

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The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

The chocolate of Modica

A city in colour

The city of museums

The Maiolica of the staircase

One city, three sites

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

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

The wall comes to life

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

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

Some prestigious works

A hall for the feasts

Two illustrious patron saints

The disastrous earthquake

Modica, a city with ancient origins

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

The two churches

A majestic and luminous church

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A symbol for the town

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

Discovering the mother church

Many owners, one palace

The façade used as a puppet theatre

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

The Baroque town by the sea

The church of Carmine

A triumph of colour

A miniature city

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

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

Prominent façade

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

A museum to save a tradition

Between white and black

Limestone, the colour of harmony

The interior and its masterpieces

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

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

Wonderful quick decorations

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

A colourful floor

From International Gothic to present day

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A small room with a golden entrance

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A new site for a new church

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

The colours of the cathedral

A half-Baroque church

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

Connections with other UNESCO sites

A square as the heart of the city

A new site for a new city

A feast only for Scicli

Some masterpieces

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

An eagle-shaped city

A Nobel Prize in Modica

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

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

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

A talking palace

The theatre of taste

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph