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 interior and its masterpieces

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

A museum to save a tradition

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

A new site for a new church

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

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

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

Modica, a city with ancient origins

A city in colour

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

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

Two illustrious patron saints

The chocolate of Modica

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

The Burgos crucifix

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

A half-Baroque church

From International Gothic to present day

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

Some prestigious works

The Staircase of Angels

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

St. Sebastian, so much work!

A Nobel Prize in Modica

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

Wonderful quick decorations

Discovering the mother church

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

The senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation

Between white and black

The Baroque town by the sea

The two churches

The internal colours

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

A square as the heart of the city

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

A triumph of colour

New roads for Catania

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

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

The Maiolica of the staircase

Searching for colour

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

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

The city of museums

Limestone, the colour of harmony

Feast days

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

A new site for a new city

A colourful floor

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

An eagle-shaped city

A feast only for Scicli

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

Connections with other UNESCO sites

A miniature city

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

One city, two sites

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

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

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

Some masterpieces

A symbol for the town

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

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

The disastrous earthquake

The colours of the cathedral

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

A small room with a golden entrance

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

A hall for the feasts

A talking palace

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

Prominent façade

One city, three sites

Feasting in Palazzolo

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

Many owners, one palace

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

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

The theatre of taste

The church of Carmine

The façade used as a puppet theatre

The wall comes to life

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

A majestic and luminous church

A prominent church

A long reconstruction

Norman apses

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

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