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 long reconstruction

The wall comes to life

A city in colour

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

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

A new site for a new city

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

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

A half-Baroque church

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

The theatre of taste

The colours of the cathedral

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

Wonderful quick decorations

A museum to save a tradition

New roads for Catania

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

A new site for a new church

Some prestigious works

A majestic and luminous church

Connections with other UNESCO sites

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

A triumph of colour

Searching for colour

A miniature city

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

Prominent façade

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

The Baroque town by the sea

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

St. Sebastian, so much work!

Norman apses

Two illustrious patron saints

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

The internal colours

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

Many owners, one palace

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

Between white and black

The senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation

The interior and its masterpieces

One city, two sites

A Nobel Prize in Modica

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

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

A feast only for Scicli

A prominent church

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

One city, three sites

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

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

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

The city of museums

Modica, a city with ancient origins

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

A small room with a golden entrance

A colourful floor

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

The Staircase of Angels

Limestone, the colour of harmony

The Burgos crucifix

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

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

The church of Carmine

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

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

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

The Maiolica of the staircase

Some masterpieces

The disastrous earthquake

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

A square as the heart of the city

A talking palace

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

From International Gothic to present day

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

A symbol for the town

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

The chocolate of Modica

The two churches

The façade used as a puppet theatre

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

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

A hall for the feasts

Discovering the mother church

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

Feast days

Feasting in Palazzolo

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

An eagle-shaped city