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 disastrous earthquake

The interior and its masterpieces

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

Prominent façade

The Staircase of Angels

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

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

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

A symbol for the town

A majestic and luminous church

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

A museum to save a tradition

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

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

Two illustrious patron saints

Many owners, one palace

A city in colour

The theatre of taste

The Maiolica of the staircase

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

The Burgos crucifix

Some prestigious works

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 Benedetto

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

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

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

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

The internal colours

From International Gothic to present day

The wall comes to life

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

A prominent church

The senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

A square as the heart of the city

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

The colours of the cathedral

A long reconstruction

Norman apses

A colourful floor

A hall for the feasts

The chocolate of Modica

A miniature city

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

The city of museums

A new site for a new city

Limestone, the colour of harmony

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

A half-Baroque church

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

One city, three sites

The church of Carmine

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

Modica, a city with ancient origins

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

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

Feasting in Palazzolo

A feast only for Scicli

Searching for colour

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

Some masterpieces

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

The façade used as a puppet theatre

One city, two sites

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

St. Sebastian, so much work!

A new site for a new church

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

The Baroque town by the sea

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

Connections with other UNESCO sites

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

Feast days

The two churches

A Nobel Prize in Modica

A small room with a golden entrance

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

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 Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

A triumph of colour

An eagle-shaped city

Wonderful quick decorations

New roads for Catania

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

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

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

Between white and black

Discovering the mother church

A talking palace

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

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