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 Benedictine Monastery and San NicoIò l’Arena

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

A talking palace

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

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

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

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

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

New roads for Catania

Two illustrious patron saints

The Baroque town by the sea

A new site for a new church

A hall for the feasts

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

The colours of the cathedral

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

The Maiolica of the staircase

One city, two sites

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

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

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

Prominent façade

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

The wall comes to life

The Burgos crucifix

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

The theatre of taste

Wonderful quick decorations

The disastrous earthquake

The façade used as a puppet theatre

The senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation

Many owners, one palace

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

A symbol for the town

Limestone, the colour of harmony

A new site for a new city

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

A city in colour

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

St. Sebastian, so much work!

Searching for colour

Feast days

A triumph of colour

A miniature city

A half-Baroque church

The Staircase of Angels

A feast only for Scicli

The internal colours

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

Discovering the mother church

A colourful floor

A square as the heart of the city

A long reconstruction

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

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

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

A majestic and luminous church

The chocolate of Modica

Norman apses

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

Between white and black

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

The church of Carmine

The two churches

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

The interior and its masterpieces

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

A small room with a golden entrance

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

An eagle-shaped city

Connections with other UNESCO sites

A prominent church

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

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

Some prestigious works

A Nobel Prize in Modica

Feasting in Palazzolo

One city, three sites

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

Modica, a city with ancient origins

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

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

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

The city of museums

From International Gothic to present day

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

A museum to save a tradition

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

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

Some masterpieces