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.

Feast days

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

A small room with a golden entrance

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

A colourful floor

The internal colours

Some masterpieces

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

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

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

A prominent church

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

A museum to save a tradition

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

St. Sebastian, so much work!

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

The interior and its masterpieces

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

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

A new site for a new city

One city, two sites

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

A symbol for the town

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

The Staircase of Angels

Many owners, one palace

New roads for Catania

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

A feast only for Scicli

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

The Burgos crucifix

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

One city, three sites

Prominent façade

A square as the heart of the city

A Nobel Prize in Modica

From International Gothic to present day

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

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

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

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

A new site for a new church

The façade used as a puppet theatre

The senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation

The church of Carmine

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

The disastrous earthquake

A hall for the feasts

Feasting in Palazzolo

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

A talking palace

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

Connections with other UNESCO sites

Some prestigious works

Modica, a city with ancient origins

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

Discovering the mother church

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

The Maiolica of the staircase

A half-Baroque church

A triumph of colour

Norman apses

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

The two churches

A long reconstruction

A city in colour

The Baroque town by the sea

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

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

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

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

Two illustrious patron saints

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

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

The wall comes to life

Between white and black

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

The theatre of taste

Limestone, the colour of harmony

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

The city of museums

A miniature city

Wonderful quick decorations

The colours of the cathedral

The chocolate of Modica

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

Searching for colour

An eagle-shaped city

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

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

A majestic and luminous church

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family