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 design by Vincenzo Sinatra

A Nobel Prize in Modica

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

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

A talking palace

A colourful floor

Modica, a city with ancient origins

A museum to save a tradition

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

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

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

The Baroque town by the sea

The Burgos crucifix

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

The wall comes to life

Feast days

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

A city in colour

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

Searching for colour

A half-Baroque church

The church of Carmine

A hall for the feasts

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

Discovering the mother church

The Maiolica of the staircase

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

Two illustrious patron saints

The disastrous earthquake

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

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

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

A miniature city

A new site for a new church

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

Many owners, one palace

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

Limestone, the colour of harmony

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

The city of museums

The façade used as a puppet theatre

A feast only for Scicli

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

A majestic and luminous church

Wonderful quick decorations

A prominent church

The two churches

St. Sebastian, so much work!

A new site for a new city

From International Gothic to present day

Between white and black

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

A triumph of colour

The internal colours

A long reconstruction

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

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

A small room with a golden entrance

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

The interior and its masterpieces

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

The theatre of taste

The Staircase of Angels

Feasting in Palazzolo

The senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation

Prominent façade

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

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

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 Battista

One city, three sites

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

The colours of the cathedral

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

Norman apses

New roads for Catania

The chocolate of Modica

Connections with other UNESCO sites

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

A symbol for the town

An eagle-shaped city

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

One city, two sites

A square as the heart of the city

Some masterpieces

Some prestigious works

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