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 story of the Church of San Sebastiano

Some prestigious works

A long reconstruction

A majestic and luminous church

The façade used as a puppet theatre

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

One city, two sites

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

The city of museums

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

The wall comes to life

A feast only for Scicli

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

A city in colour

Feast days

Discovering the mother church

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

The disastrous earthquake

The interior and its masterpieces

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

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

The senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation

A miniature city

An eagle-shaped city

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

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

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

A hall for the feasts

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

A prominent church

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

The Staircase of Angels

Two illustrious patron saints

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

The Burgos crucifix

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

Connections with other UNESCO sites

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

The Baroque town by the sea

Prominent façade

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

The two churches

One city, three sites

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

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

A small room with a golden entrance

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

The chocolate of Modica

A colourful floor

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

Feasting in Palazzolo

The internal colours

Between white and black

A symbol for the town

Modica, a city with ancient origins

The colours of the cathedral

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

A Nobel Prize in Modica

A talking palace

The church of Carmine

Some masterpieces

Searching for colour

From International Gothic to present day

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

Limestone, the colour of harmony

A triumph of colour

A museum to save a tradition

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

The Maiolica of the staircase

St. Sebastian, so much work!

Wonderful quick decorations

A new site for a new church

A half-Baroque church

New roads for Catania

The theatre of taste

Norman apses

A new site for a new city

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

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

A square as the heart of the city

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

Many owners, one palace

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