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 triumph of colour

Prominent façade

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

One city, three sites

A new site for a new city

The internal colours

The theatre of taste

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

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

Connections with other UNESCO sites

Two illustrious patron saints

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Wonderful quick decorations

St. Sebastian, so much work!

The church of Carmine

The chocolate of Modica

A prominent church

A new site for a new church

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A square as the heart of the city

A hall for the feasts

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Some masterpieces

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Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

Many owners, one palace

A feast only for Scicli

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

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

Limestone, the colour of harmony

One city, two sites

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

A museum to save a tradition

The Baroque town by the sea

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

A city in colour

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

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A long reconstruction

The city of museums

The disastrous earthquake

Some prestigious works

Feast days

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

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From International Gothic to present day

A miniature city

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

An eagle-shaped city

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

The colours of the cathedral

A small room with a golden entrance

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

The Maiolica of the staircase

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

A Nobel Prize in Modica

Discovering the mother church

The interior and its masterpieces

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Between white and black

Norman apses

A majestic and luminous church

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

New roads for Catania

A half-Baroque church

The two churches

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

The façade used as a puppet theatre

Feasting in Palazzolo

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A colourful floor

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

A symbol for the town

The Burgos crucifix

Searching for colour

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The Staircase of Angels

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

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

The wall comes to life

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

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A talking palace

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

Modica, a city with ancient origins

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