Militello in Val di Catania

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

hearing
Sound on

The feast for the Holy Saviour of Militello involves its citizens and also attracts inhabitants from nearby villages and tourists: everyone is invited!
During the celebrations the most diverse sounds can be heard: cannon shots announcing the approaching feast; bells ringing to alert citizens of the beginning of the festivities; voices of the participants, the local band, and the prayers of the processions.
It’s impossible not to feel involved in the festivities, with each sound reminiscent of a precise moment.

sight
And then comes red…

The church interior looks like a white canvas with strokes of colour from the frescoes and stucco decorations that create plays of light and shadow.
The delicate white walls were combined with a white and grey chequered floor, with a geometric design formed of straight lines in an excellent contrast with the walls.
These delicate tones are enlivened during the feast of the Holy Saviour; long red drapes decorate the nave and the interior is transformed by colour!

smell
The memory of smell

The smell of the candle offered by the mayor and the scent of the flowers that adorn the streets are unmistakable, inevitable parts of the feast of the Holy Saviour.
These smells remain imprinted in the memory of young and old people alike, and whenever you catch a hint of them, they bring to mind moments of celebration and joy.

taste
Quince paste for the Holy Saviour

The feast of the Santissimo Salvatore (Holy Saviour) is also an opportunity to eat some typical sweets such as cognata (quince paste).
The recipe is very simple and requires only three ingredients: quince, sugar and lemon.
The ingredients are cooked using the same process as jam and placed in moulds for the mixture to solidify into a gelatinous consistency.
Special moulds in the shape of a globe with a cross on top are used for the feast of the Holy Saviour. La cotognata

A city in colour

The two churches

One city, two sites

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

One city, three sites

Some masterpieces

A miniature city

The Baroque town by the sea

The Burgos crucifix

The Maiolica of the staircase

The wall comes to life

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

An eagle-shaped city

A half-Baroque church

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

Between white and black

The chocolate of Modica

A symbol for the town

Feast days

Feasting in Palazzolo

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

A talking palace

Connections with other UNESCO sites

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

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

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

The disastrous earthquake

A feast only for Scicli

The interior and its masterpieces

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

The senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation

Searching for colour

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

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

Some prestigious works

New roads for Catania

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

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

From International Gothic to present day

Norman apses

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

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

Wonderful quick decorations

The colours of the cathedral

A prominent church

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

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

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

The Staircase of Angels

The façade used as a puppet theatre

A colourful floor

A museum to save a tradition

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

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

A majestic and luminous church

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

The internal colours

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

A new site for a new city

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

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

The church of Carmine

St. Sebastian, so much work!

A small room with a golden entrance

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

A triumph of colour

A Nobel Prize in Modica

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

Prominent façade

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

A square as the heart of the city

Two illustrious patron saints

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

Modica, a city with ancient origins

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

Limestone, the colour of harmony

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

A new site for a new church

A long reconstruction

A hall for the feasts

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

The city of museums

The theatre of taste

Discovering the mother church

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

Many owners, one palace