Catania

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

sight
A hypnotic floor

With a splendid geometric design of curved and broken lines pointing towards the centre, the floor of the church of San Giuliano (St. Julian) mesmerises all who look upon it.
The effect is amplified by the contrast between the colours of the floor.
The red stone alternating with white marble with light grey veins is enough to make your head spin.

hearing
The singing of the Benedictines

On the Feast of St. Agatha, the saint’s statue is carried around the city streets in procession.
The long route takes us in front of the church of San Giuliano (St. Julian), where the devout Benedictine nuns, hidden behind the grilles, hear prayers, honour the Saint and take part in one of the most important celebrations.

The church of Carmine

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

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

Modica, a city with ancient origins

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

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

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

The two churches

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

Prominent façade

The wall comes to life

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

From International Gothic to present day

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

A hall for the feasts

A Nobel Prize in Modica

A museum to save a tradition

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

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

Feast days

A talking palace

Searching for colour

A new site for a new city

The Maiolica of the staircase

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

A city in colour

A square as the heart of the city

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

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

The city of museums

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

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

An eagle-shaped city

Many owners, one palace

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

St. Sebastian, so much work!

Norman apses

The senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation

Some masterpieces

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

A prominent church

The colours of the cathedral

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

A miniature city

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

The chocolate of Modica

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

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

Feasting in Palazzolo

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

Between white and black

A triumph of colour

Some prestigious works

Limestone, the colour of harmony

A small room with a golden entrance

The theatre of taste

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

A colourful floor

The internal colours

A long reconstruction

The Baroque town by the sea

A feast only for Scicli

The interior and its masterpieces

The Staircase of Angels

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

The disastrous earthquake

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

A half-Baroque church

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

Discovering the mother church

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

Connections with other UNESCO sites

New roads for Catania

Two illustrious patron saints

One city, two sites

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

The façade used as a puppet theatre

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

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

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

A symbol for the town

A majestic and luminous church

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

The Burgos crucifix

Wonderful quick decorations

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

One city, three sites

A new site for a new church

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours