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 Burgos crucifix

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

A museum to save a tradition

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

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

A small room with a golden entrance

The senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation

A triumph of colour

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

The disastrous earthquake

The Maiolica of the staircase

A miniature city

A half-Baroque church

The internal colours

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

A feast only for Scicli

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

The interior and its masterpieces

Some prestigious works

Connections with other UNESCO sites

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

Limestone, the colour of harmony

New roads for Catania

A symbol for the town

Discovering the mother church

One city, two sites

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

The façade used as a puppet theatre

A new site for a new city

A prominent church

A Nobel Prize in Modica

Two illustrious patron saints

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

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

An eagle-shaped city

A colourful floor

The Baroque town by the sea

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

Feast days

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

Norman apses

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

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

Many owners, one palace

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

Wonderful quick decorations

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

The city of museums

A new site for a new church

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

A talking palace

Between white and black

A long reconstruction

A city in colour

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

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

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

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

St. Sebastian, so much work!

The colours of the cathedral

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

The chocolate of Modica

One city, three sites

The two churches

The church of Carmine

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

From International Gothic to present day

A majestic and luminous church

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

The theatre of taste

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

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

Some masterpieces

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

The wall comes to life

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

Feasting in Palazzolo

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

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

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

A square as the heart of the city

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

Searching for colour

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

A hall for the feasts

Modica, a city with ancient origins

The Staircase of Angels

Prominent façade