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

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An eagle-shaped city

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Between white and black

A colourful floor

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

A hall for the feasts

A half-Baroque church

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The Maiolica of the staircase

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Two illustrious patron saints

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

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Limestone, the colour of harmony

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A Nobel Prize in Modica

The two churches

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The Burgos crucifix

A museum to save a tradition

A feast only for Scicli

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

Some masterpieces

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

Prominent façade

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The interior and its masterpieces

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Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

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

Searching for colour

The theatre of taste

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Feast days

New roads for Catania

A miniature city

St. Sebastian, so much work!

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The chocolate of Modica

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Some prestigious works

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

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Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

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The colours of the cathedral

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Connections with other UNESCO sites

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Many owners, one palace

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A long reconstruction

A square as the heart of the city

The Baroque town by the sea

Feasting in Palazzolo

A prominent church

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

A talking palace

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

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

A symbol for the town

The wall comes to life

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One city, three sites

A majestic and luminous church

The church of Carmine

The city of museums

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A triumph of colour

A city in colour

The internal colours

From International Gothic to present day

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

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

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

The façade used as a puppet theatre

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

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

Norman apses

A small room with a golden entrance

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The disastrous earthquake

A new palace for the La Rocca lords