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 Cathedral of Sant’Agata

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

New roads for Catania

The two churches

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

A square as the heart of the city

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

A feast only for Scicli

A miniature city

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

The chocolate of Modica

A hall for the feasts

A city in colour

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

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

Limestone, the colour of harmony

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

St. Sebastian, so much work!

Connections with other UNESCO sites

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

A museum to save a tradition

The theatre of taste

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

Some masterpieces

The internal colours

The colours of the cathedral

One city, two sites

Prominent façade

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

A Nobel Prize in Modica

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

Between white and black

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

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

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

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

The Burgos crucifix

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

Many owners, one palace

Some prestigious works

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

Feast days

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

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

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

Wonderful quick decorations

A new site for a new church

Modica, a city with ancient origins

A symbol for the town

An eagle-shaped city

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

Discovering the mother church

The senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation

Searching for colour

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

The church of Carmine

The disastrous earthquake

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

The Baroque town by the sea

The city of museums

Feasting in Palazzolo

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

A triumph of colour

From International Gothic to present day

A long reconstruction

A talking palace

The interior and its masterpieces

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

The façade used as a puppet theatre

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

The wall comes to life

The Staircase of Angels

A prominent church

A majestic and luminous church

A half-Baroque church

One city, three sites

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

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

A small room with a golden entrance

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

The Maiolica of the staircase

Norman apses

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

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

Two illustrious patron saints

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

A colourful floor

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

A new site for a new city

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom