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

A long reconstruction

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The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

The Staircase of Angels

A majestic and luminous church

A colourful floor

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

One city, two sites

A Nobel Prize in Modica

Wonderful quick decorations

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A talking palace

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A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

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Some prestigious works

A triumph of colour

New roads for Catania

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Norman apses

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Discovering the mother church

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

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Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

Connections with other UNESCO sites

The façade used as a puppet theatre

Limestone, the colour of harmony

Prominent façade

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Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

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St. Sebastian, so much work!

A half-Baroque church

Some masterpieces

A museum to save a tradition

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San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

A square as the heart of the city

Two illustrious patron saints

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The wall comes to life

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

Many owners, one palace

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A prominent church

The disastrous earthquake

The Maiolica of the staircase

Between white and black

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

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The Barresi-Branciforte lords

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

The colours of the cathedral

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

A small room with a golden entrance

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

The church of Carmine

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

The two churches

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A symbol for the town

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

The theatre of taste

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The Burgos crucifix

The internal colours

One city, three sites

Feasting in Palazzolo

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

A hall for the feasts

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

Feast days

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The chocolate of Modica