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 new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

Prominent façade

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

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

Between white and black

A miniature city

The Burgos crucifix

A triumph of colour

Discovering the mother church

Some prestigious works

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

A small room with a golden entrance

Norman apses

The church of Carmine

A Nobel Prize in Modica

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

Feast days

Connections with other UNESCO sites

One city, three sites

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

A long reconstruction

St. Sebastian, so much work!

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

Wonderful quick decorations

The internal colours

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

A square as the heart of the city

Limestone, the colour of harmony

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

A feast only for Scicli

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

The disastrous earthquake

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

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

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

New roads for Catania

A city in colour

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

Searching for colour

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

A hall for the feasts

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

A symbol for the town

A half-Baroque church

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

The senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation

A new site for a new church

A colourful floor

Feasting in Palazzolo

The interior and its masterpieces

A museum to save a tradition

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

The chocolate of Modica

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

The city of museums

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

The Baroque town by the sea

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

A prominent church

The Maiolica of the staircase

A majestic and luminous church

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

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

The Staircase of Angels

Two illustrious patron saints

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

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

From International Gothic to present day

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

Some masterpieces

Modica, a city with ancient origins

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

An eagle-shaped city

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

One city, two sites

Many owners, one palace

The two churches

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

The wall comes to life

The theatre of taste

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

A new site for a new city

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

The colours of the cathedral

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

The façade used as a puppet theatre

A talking palace

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

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