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 senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

One city, two sites

A majestic and luminous church

A Nobel Prize in Modica

The two churches

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

A triumph of colour

The Baroque town by the sea

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

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

Connections with other UNESCO sites

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

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

The wall comes to life

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

The theatre of taste

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

The disastrous earthquake

Searching for colour

The church of Carmine

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

Prominent façade

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

The senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation

A miniature city

The chocolate of Modica

Many owners, one palace

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

Norman apses

One city, three sites

Discovering the mother church

A new site for a new city

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

From International Gothic to present day

A symbol for the town

A hall for the feasts

A feast only for Scicli

The city of museums

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

A long reconstruction

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

A city in colour

A prominent church

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

An eagle-shaped city

Between white and black

The Burgos crucifix

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

The internal colours

Some prestigious works

The colours of the cathedral

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

A half-Baroque church

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

The Maiolica of the staircase

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

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

Limestone, the colour of harmony

Modica, a city with ancient origins

Feast days

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

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

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

A talking palace

A square as the heart of the city

A museum to save a tradition

Feasting in Palazzolo

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

The interior and its masterpieces

A colourful floor

Some masterpieces

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

A small room with a golden entrance

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

St. Sebastian, so much work!

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

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

The façade used as a puppet theatre

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

Wonderful quick decorations

New roads for Catania

The Staircase of Angels

Two illustrious patron saints

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

A new site for a new church