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

An eagle-shaped city

A half-Baroque church

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

The Baroque town by the sea

One city, two sites

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

The two churches

A new site for a new city

The colours of the cathedral

From International Gothic to present day

Prominent façade

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

Discovering the mother church

Two illustrious patron saints

The wall comes to life

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

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

Modica, a city with ancient origins

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

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

Feasting in Palazzolo

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

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

The internal colours

The Burgos crucifix

The disastrous earthquake

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

A majestic and luminous church

Feast days

A Nobel Prize in Modica

Limestone, the colour of harmony

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

A hall for the feasts

A city in colour

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

A triumph of colour

St. Sebastian, so much work!

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

A prominent church

A new site for a new church

Many owners, one palace

Norman apses

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

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

A miniature city

Searching for colour

The city of museums

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

A museum to save a tradition

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

Between white and black

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

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 Santa Chiara

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

Some masterpieces

Connections with other UNESCO sites

A symbol for the town

New roads for Catania

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

The senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation

The church of Carmine

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

A feast only for Scicli

The façade used as a puppet theatre

The theatre of taste

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

A square as the heart of the city

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

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

The interior and its masterpieces

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

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

A talking palace

The Maiolica of the staircase

A long reconstruction

Some prestigious works

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

A small room with a golden entrance

The chocolate of Modica

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

The Staircase of Angels

One city, three sites

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

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

A colourful floor

Wonderful quick decorations