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 internal colours

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

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

A miniature city

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

Feast days

Feasting in Palazzolo

Two illustrious patron saints

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

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

Prominent façade

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

A square as the heart of the city

Some masterpieces

A triumph of colour

The city of museums

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

The façade used as a puppet theatre

The Staircase of Angels

Searching for colour

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

A Nobel Prize in Modica

A majestic and luminous church

A city in colour

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

An eagle-shaped city

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

One city, two sites

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

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

The chocolate of Modica

The two churches

The disastrous earthquake

Norman apses

The interior and its masterpieces

A hall for the feasts

A new site for a new church

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

The colours of the cathedral

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

A talking palace

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

A half-Baroque church

The theatre of taste

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

A museum to save a tradition

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

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

Between white and black

A small room with a golden entrance

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

Some prestigious works

Many owners, one palace

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

The senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

A new site for a new city

A symbol for the town

The Maiolica of the staircase

Modica, a city with ancient origins

Discovering the mother church

The Baroque town by the sea

The Burgos crucifix

From International Gothic to present day

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

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

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

St. Sebastian, so much work!

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

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

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

The wall comes to life

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

Connections with other UNESCO sites

A colourful floor

One city, three sites

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

Limestone, the colour of harmony

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

Wonderful quick decorations

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

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

A long reconstruction

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

New roads for Catania

A prominent church

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

A feast only for Scicli

The church of Carmine