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 Barresi-Branciforte lords

The colours of the cathedral

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

Modica, a city with ancient origins

A talking palace

From International Gothic to present day

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

A half-Baroque church

A feast only for Scicli

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

A colourful floor

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

A museum to save a tradition

A symbol for the town

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

Feasting in Palazzolo

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

The church of Carmine

A hall for the feasts

Searching for colour

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

The Maiolica of the staircase

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

The wall comes to life

The internal colours

A new site for a new church

A majestic and luminous church

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

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

A small room with a golden entrance

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

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

The Burgos crucifix

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

Connections with other UNESCO sites

One city, two sites

A miniature city

A Nobel Prize in Modica

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

An eagle-shaped city

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

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

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

Discovering the mother church

A city in colour

The senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation

Many owners, one palace

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

A long reconstruction

Feast days

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

Limestone, the colour of harmony

The disastrous earthquake

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

New roads for Catania

Some prestigious works

Prominent façade

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

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

The Staircase of Angels

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

Between white and black

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

The façade used as a puppet theatre

One city, three sites

St. Sebastian, so much work!

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

Some masterpieces

The two churches

The interior and its masterpieces

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

The theatre of taste

The city of museums

The Baroque town by the sea

Wonderful quick decorations

Norman apses

A prominent church

Two illustrious patron saints

A new site for a new city

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

The chocolate of Modica

A square as the heart of the city

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

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

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

A triumph of colour

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)