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.

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

The colours of the cathedral

A colourful floor

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

Feast days

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

Wonderful quick decorations

The disastrous earthquake

One city, two sites

Connections with other UNESCO sites

The Baroque town by the sea

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

Limestone, the colour of harmony

The wall comes to life

A majestic and luminous church

Feasting in Palazzolo

A museum to save a tradition

The interior and its masterpieces

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

Discovering the mother church

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

A city in colour

The church of Carmine

St. Sebastian, so much work!

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

The Burgos crucifix

A square as the heart of the city

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

A Nobel Prize in Modica

A symbol for the town

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

Norman apses

The internal colours

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

A talking palace

The city of museums

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

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

The façade used as a puppet theatre

The theatre of taste

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

A half-Baroque church

One city, three sites

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

From International Gothic to present day

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

A hall for the feasts

Between white and black

Searching for colour

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

The two churches

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

A new site for a new city

New roads for Catania

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

A feast only for Scicli

A small room with a golden entrance

The Staircase of Angels

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

Many owners, one palace

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

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

Prominent façade

An eagle-shaped city

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

A miniature city

A new site for a new church

Some masterpieces

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

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

The chocolate of Modica

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

A long reconstruction

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

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

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

A prominent church

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

Modica, a city with ancient origins

Some prestigious works

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

The senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation

The Maiolica of the staircase

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

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

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

Two illustrious patron saints

A triumph of colour