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 city in colour

Some prestigious works

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

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

Many owners, one palace

The interior and its masterpieces

A Nobel Prize in Modica

The two churches

A small room with a golden entrance

A museum to save a tradition

The senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

Feast days

The theatre of taste

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

The disastrous earthquake

A square as the heart of the city

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

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

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

Prominent façade

St. Sebastian, so much work!

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

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

The Maiolica of the staircase

The city of museums

A majestic and luminous church

New roads for Catania

A symbol for the town

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

The colours of the cathedral

The façade used as a puppet theatre

Some masterpieces

One city, two sites

One city, three sites

A triumph of colour

A new site for a new city

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

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

The internal colours

Norman apses

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

Limestone, the colour of harmony

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

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

From International Gothic to present day

Modica, a city with ancient origins

A miniature city

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

A new site for a new church

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

The wall comes to life

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

A colourful floor

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

An eagle-shaped city

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

The Staircase of Angels

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

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

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

Two illustrious patron saints

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

A talking palace

Between white and black

Feasting in Palazzolo

A feast only for Scicli

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

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

The chocolate of Modica

A long reconstruction

Wonderful quick decorations

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

The church of Carmine

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

The Burgos crucifix

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

Searching for colour

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

A half-Baroque church

Connections with other UNESCO sites

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

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

Discovering the mother church

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

A hall for the feasts

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

A prominent church

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

The Baroque town by the sea