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 new site for a new city

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

One city, three sites

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

The senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

The chocolate of Modica

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

Two illustrious patron saints

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

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

Limestone, the colour of harmony

Feast days

A hall for the feasts

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

A small room with a golden entrance

The two churches

The church of Carmine

St. Sebastian, so much work!

A miniature city

Discovering the mother church

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

Searching for colour

A museum to save a tradition

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

Wonderful quick decorations

A half-Baroque church

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

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

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

One city, two sites

Modica, a city with ancient origins

Some prestigious works

The wall comes to life

The Burgos crucifix

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

Norman apses

A Nobel Prize in Modica

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

The disastrous earthquake

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

A prominent church

A city in colour

The theatre of taste

Prominent façade

Connections with other UNESCO sites

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

The Baroque town by the sea

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

Feasting in Palazzolo

A triumph of colour

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

The interior and its masterpieces

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

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

A new site for a new church

Some masterpieces

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

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

A long reconstruction

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

A feast only for Scicli

The façade used as a puppet theatre

The city of museums

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

New roads for Catania

Many owners, one palace

A majestic and luminous church

Between white and black

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

From International Gothic to present day

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

The internal colours

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

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

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

A square as the heart of the city

The colours of the cathedral

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

A symbol for the town

A talking palace

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

A colourful floor

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

An eagle-shaped city

The Maiolica of the staircase

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

The Staircase of Angels