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 Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

Some prestigious works

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

The Staircase of Angels

The city of museums

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

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

Prominent façade

A long reconstruction

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

Some masterpieces

A colourful floor

New roads for Catania

The Baroque town by the sea

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

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

The Burgos crucifix

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

Wonderful quick decorations

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

Searching for colour

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

The theatre of taste

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

The façade used as a puppet theatre

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

Between white and black

The colours of the cathedral

A city in colour

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

A new site for a new church

The two churches

Discovering the mother church

The chocolate of Modica

A Nobel Prize in Modica

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

Two illustrious patron saints

A half-Baroque church

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

A majestic and luminous church

The senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

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

A prominent church

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

The disastrous earthquake

A symbol for the town

A hall for the feasts

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

Modica, a city with ancient origins

Many owners, one palace

From International Gothic to present day

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

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

An eagle-shaped city

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

The wall comes to life

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

Limestone, the colour of harmony

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

A museum to save a tradition

A feast only for Scicli

One city, two sites

The Maiolica of the staircase

Norman apses

Feasting in Palazzolo

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

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

The church of Carmine

A square as the heart of the city

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

Connections with other UNESCO sites

A miniature city

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

St. Sebastian, so much work!

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

The interior and its masterpieces

A small room with a golden entrance

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

A triumph of colour

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

A new site for a new city

A talking palace

The internal colours

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

One city, three sites

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

Feast days