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.

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

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

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

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

A talking palace

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

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

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

A long reconstruction

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

A museum to save a tradition

Some masterpieces

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

Wonderful quick decorations

A colourful floor

A feast only for Scicli

The internal colours

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

Norman apses

A new site for a new city

The Staircase of Angels

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

A symbol for the town

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

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

Feast days

The theatre of taste

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

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

Some prestigious works

A prominent church

A hall for the feasts

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

Two illustrious patron saints

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

A small room with a golden entrance

Searching for colour

The interior and its masterpieces

Feasting in Palazzolo

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

The disastrous earthquake

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

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

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

A majestic and luminous church

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

One city, two sites

A miniature city

The colours of the cathedral

A square as the heart of the city

From International Gothic to present day

Prominent façade

The façade used as a puppet theatre

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

A new site for a new church

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

Between white and black

New roads for Catania

The church of Carmine

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

Limestone, the colour of harmony

A half-Baroque church

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

The wall comes to life

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

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

The two churches

The chocolate of Modica

Modica, a city with ancient origins

Connections with other UNESCO sites

A city in colour

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

Many owners, one palace

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

Discovering the mother church

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

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

The city of museums

The senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

The Baroque town by the sea

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

An eagle-shaped city

One city, three sites

The Maiolica of the staircase

The Burgos crucifix

A triumph of colour

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

A Nobel Prize in Modica

St. Sebastian, so much work!