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.

A new site for a new city

The disastrous earthquake

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

A new site for a new church

A colourful floor

Some prestigious works

The chocolate of Modica

A half-Baroque church

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

The internal colours

The two churches

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

From International Gothic to present day

A museum to save a tradition

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

Searching for colour

The Maiolica of the staircase

Many owners, one palace

The Burgos crucifix

Prominent façade

Feast days

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

A talking palace

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

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

A majestic and luminous church

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

Modica, a city with ancient origins

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

A city in colour

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

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

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

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

A feast only for Scicli

One city, two sites

Connections with other UNESCO sites

The senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation

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

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

Between white and black

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

A long reconstruction

A small room with a golden entrance

St. Sebastian, so much work!

Limestone, the colour of harmony

Norman apses

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

A square as the heart of the city

Two illustrious patron saints

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

Feasting in Palazzolo

A Nobel Prize in Modica

The Baroque town by the sea

A triumph of colour

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

Discovering the mother church

The Staircase of Angels

A symbol for the town

The colours of the cathedral

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

Wonderful quick decorations

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

The interior and its masterpieces

The church of Carmine

An eagle-shaped city

The city of museums

The wall comes to life

Some masterpieces

The façade used as a puppet theatre

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

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

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

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

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

A miniature city

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

One city, three sites

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

New roads for Catania

A hall for the feasts

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

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

The theatre of taste

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

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

A prominent church