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 colourful floor

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A city in colour

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

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A symbol for the town

The city of museums

An eagle-shaped city

A triumph of colour

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

Connections with other UNESCO sites

Wonderful quick decorations

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The colours of the cathedral

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A miniature city

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A Nobel Prize in Modica

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The character of Badia Sant’Agata

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Norman apses

Feasting in Palazzolo

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

One city, two sites

Many owners, one palace

The Staircase of Angels

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

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

Prominent façade

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A hall for the feasts

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

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

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

A long reconstruction

The Burgos crucifix

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The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

St. Sebastian, so much work!

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Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

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The theatre of taste

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A half-Baroque church

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

A new site for a new church

The wall comes to life

A prominent church

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

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

Two illustrious patron saints

One city, three sites

A new site for a new city

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Searching for colour

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

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

Discovering the mother church

The chocolate of Modica

A feast only for Scicli

Some masterpieces

The internal colours

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

Modica, a city with ancient origins

The disastrous earthquake

A talking palace

A small room with a golden entrance

The Baroque town by the sea

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

The Maiolica of the staircase

Between white and black

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

Feast days

The interior and its masterpieces

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

A museum to save a tradition

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

Limestone, the colour of harmony

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

A square as the heart of the city

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

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

The church of Carmine

A majestic and luminous church

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

Some prestigious works

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

New roads for Catania

The façade used as a puppet theatre

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The two churches