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.

A long reconstruction

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

The interior and its masterpieces

St. Sebastian, so much work!

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

New roads for Catania

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

Two illustrious patron saints

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

Between white and black

A city in colour

The city of museums

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

The internal colours

Many owners, one palace

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

The two churches

The senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

Discovering the mother church

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

One city, three sites

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

A museum to save a tradition

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

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

Searching for colour

The colours of the cathedral

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

A square as the heart of the city

The theatre of taste

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

A small room with a golden entrance

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

The Maiolica of the staircase

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

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

The wall comes to life

A half-Baroque church

The church of Carmine

The Staircase of Angels

Norman apses

An eagle-shaped city

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

Feasting in Palazzolo

A talking palace

The Baroque town by the sea

A Nobel Prize in Modica

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

Connections with other UNESCO sites

The disastrous earthquake

A new site for a new city

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

A hall for the feasts

Some masterpieces

A colourful floor

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

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

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

The façade used as a puppet theatre

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

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

The Burgos crucifix

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

A triumph of colour

Wonderful quick decorations

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

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

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

Limestone, the colour of harmony

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

Modica, a city with ancient origins

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

A symbol for the town

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

A prominent church

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

A majestic and luminous church

A miniature city

One city, two sites

Some prestigious works

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

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

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

The chocolate of Modica

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

A new site for a new church

A feast only for Scicli

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

Prominent façade

Feast days

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

From International Gothic to present day