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.

Discovering the mother church

The Baroque town by the sea

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

A colourful floor

Some masterpieces

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

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

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

The internal colours

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

A new site for a new church

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

A triumph of colour

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

A long reconstruction

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

One city, two sites

Some prestigious works

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

The wall comes to life

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

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

A new site for a new city

A talking palace

New roads for Catania

Modica, a city with ancient origins

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

The city of museums

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

The disastrous earthquake

The interior and its masterpieces

St. Sebastian, so much work!

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

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

Norman apses

Between white and black

One city, three sites

The Burgos crucifix

The colours of the cathedral

The façade used as a puppet theatre

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

A prominent church

A hall for the feasts

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

A feast only for Scicli

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

Wonderful quick decorations

A Nobel Prize in Modica

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

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

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

Limestone, the colour of harmony

A small room with a golden entrance

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

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

Feasting in Palazzolo

Two illustrious patron saints

The church of Carmine

The chocolate of Modica

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

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

Many owners, one palace

The two churches

Prominent façade

The senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation

A majestic and luminous church

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

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

A museum to save a tradition

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

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

Searching for colour

A half-Baroque church

The Maiolica of the staircase

Connections with other UNESCO sites

Feast days

A miniature city

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

An eagle-shaped city

A city in colour

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

A square as the heart of the city

The Staircase of Angels

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

From International Gothic to present day

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

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

The theatre of taste

A symbol for the town

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)