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.

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

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

The colours of the cathedral

The senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation

Feasting in Palazzolo

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

Norman apses

A long reconstruction

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

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

The city of museums

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

Feast days

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

Discovering the mother church

Wonderful quick decorations

Connections with other UNESCO sites

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

A hall for the feasts

One city, three sites

One city, two sites

A half-Baroque church

An eagle-shaped city

A small room with a golden entrance

The Maiolica of the staircase

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

A colourful floor

A Nobel Prize in Modica

The Baroque town by the sea

A feast only for Scicli

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

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

The façade used as a puppet theatre

New roads for Catania

Two illustrious patron saints

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

Some prestigious works

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

Prominent façade

The chocolate of Modica

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

The church of Carmine

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

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

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

A miniature city

The interior and its masterpieces

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

A museum to save a tradition

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

A square as the heart of the city

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

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

A city in colour

St. Sebastian, so much work!

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

A talking palace

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

The theatre of taste

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

A prominent church

The internal colours

Limestone, the colour of harmony

Between white and black

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

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

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

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

The disastrous earthquake

A new site for a new church

Searching for colour

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

Some masterpieces

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

The wall comes to life

Modica, a city with ancient origins

From International Gothic to present day

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

The two churches

A triumph of colour

The Staircase of Angels

A new site for a new city

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

Many owners, one palace

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

The Burgos crucifix

A symbol for the town

A majestic and luminous church