Catania

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

sight
What a view!

If we climbed the steps leading to the terrace above the abbey of St. Agatha, perhaps we would be a little tired or out of breath, but there would be a splendid landscape before us.
The entire city can be seen from here: the Bellini Theatre, the Cathedral, the Ursino Castle, the churches on Via Crociferi and the great Benedictine monastery.
The cloistered nuns (who never left the monastery) used this terrace to participate in city life and attend processions without being seen.

smell
The scent of church candles

The smell of wax is one of the most characteristic scents inside a church and in the streets of Catania during the patron saint’s celebrations.
Votive candles are still produced today in Catania’s artisanal workshops using techniques and raw materials steeped in ancient knowledge.
There were originally two types of candles: those made with beeswax, which were more refined and expensive, and those made with animal fat, which were far cheaper but gave off an unpleasant smell and smoke.

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

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

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

A hall for the feasts

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

Some masterpieces

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

A square as the heart of the city

Searching for colour

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

Modica, a city with ancient origins

A new site for a new city

A half-Baroque church

The Burgos crucifix

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

Prominent façade

The façade used as a puppet theatre

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

A majestic and luminous church

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

Wonderful quick decorations

The Maiolica of the staircase

One city, three sites

Limestone, the colour of harmony

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

The internal colours

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

The chocolate of Modica

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

A feast only for Scicli

One city, two sites

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

Two illustrious patron saints

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

A prominent church

Feast days

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

Connections with other UNESCO sites

The senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation

Many owners, one palace

The Staircase of Angels

The Baroque town by the sea

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

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

From International Gothic to present day

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

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

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

A long reconstruction

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

A colourful floor

The wall comes to life

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

Feasting in Palazzolo

A symbol for the town

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

A city in colour

Norman apses

The church of Carmine

Discovering the mother church

A small room with a golden entrance

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

A new site for a new church

The city of museums

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

New roads for Catania

An eagle-shaped city

The theatre of taste

Between white and black

A miniature city

Some prestigious works

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

A triumph of colour

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

St. Sebastian, so much work!

A museum to save a tradition

The colours of the cathedral

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

The two churches

A talking palace

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

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

A Nobel Prize in Modica

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

The interior and its masterpieces

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

The disastrous earthquake