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.

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

A square as the heart of the city

A symbol for the town

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

A triumph of colour

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

The internal colours

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

A museum to save a tradition

The colours of the cathedral

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

New roads for Catania

A long reconstruction

Norman apses

A new site for a new city

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

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

The wall comes to life

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

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

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

Modica, a city with ancient origins

The senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation

A feast only for Scicli

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

Limestone, the colour of harmony

A hall for the feasts

The two churches

The city of museums

A talking palace

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

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 Chiara

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

The chocolate of Modica

One city, three sites

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

A prominent church

A small room with a golden entrance

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

One city, two sites

A colourful floor

From International Gothic to present day

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

The church of Carmine

A city in colour

Searching for colour

Prominent façade

The façade used as a puppet theatre

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

Two illustrious patron saints

The interior and its masterpieces

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

Some masterpieces

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

A majestic and luminous church

A new site for a new church

The Staircase of Angels

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

Between white and black

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

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

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

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

Feasting in Palazzolo

St. Sebastian, so much work!

A half-Baroque church

Discovering the mother church

Some prestigious works

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

An eagle-shaped city

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

Feast days

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

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

A Nobel Prize in Modica

The Maiolica of the staircase

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

Wonderful quick decorations

The theatre of taste

Connections with other UNESCO sites

The Baroque town by the sea

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

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

The Burgos crucifix

A miniature city

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

The disastrous earthquake

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

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

Many owners, one palace

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers