Catania

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

sight
Brightness and light

Colour, light and more colour!
The vault is a riot of colour, capable of making the figures and shapes stand out, and leaving visitors gazing upwards.
As for the altar, it attracts attention thanks to the brilliance and shine of gold, silver and the precious sparkling stones used to decorate it.
The church is a treasure trove of precious jewels.

hearing
A sound to accompany prayer

It’s 1790 and you’re inside the church of St. Benedict, attending one of the services… You can hear something… what is it?
The organ!
With a sound alternating between gentle and low, it accompanies prayer as impressed worshippers celebrate Holy Mass.
Then the bells announce the end of the service.
Their chimes vibrate in the atmosphere and resonate along Via dei Crociferi.

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

Two illustrious patron saints

Modica, a city with ancient origins

A square as the heart of the city

A new site for a new church

The Burgos crucifix

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

A majestic and luminous church

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

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

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

Many owners, one palace

Feasting in Palazzolo

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

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

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

The wall comes to life

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

Norman apses

The façade used as a puppet theatre

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

The chocolate of Modica

A feast only for Scicli

A new site for a new city

Between white and black

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

From International Gothic to present day

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

Prominent façade

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

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

One city, two sites

A half-Baroque church

The Maiolica of the staircase

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

The Baroque town by the sea

A miniature city

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

St. Sebastian, so much work!

Some masterpieces

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

The colours of the cathedral

Some prestigious works

A city in colour

The interior and its masterpieces

One city, three sites

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

Discovering the mother church

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

Wonderful quick decorations

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

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

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

Limestone, the colour of harmony

The internal colours

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

A long reconstruction

The two churches

The church of Carmine

The city of museums

A small room with a golden entrance

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

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

Feast days

The theatre of taste

A colourful floor

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

A symbol for the town

Searching for colour

Connections with other UNESCO sites

The disastrous earthquake

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

The Staircase of Angels

The senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation

A Nobel Prize in Modica

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

A prominent church

A museum to save a tradition

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

A triumph of colour

New roads for Catania

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

A talking palace

A hall for the feasts

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

An eagle-shaped city

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)