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 museum to save a tradition

New roads for Catania

A symbol for the town

A Nobel Prize in Modica

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

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

The internal colours

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

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

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

Feast days

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

Modica, a city with ancient origins

From International Gothic to present day

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

The Maiolica of the staircase

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

The Staircase of Angels

The senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation

The disastrous earthquake

Connections with other UNESCO sites

The Baroque town by the sea

The façade used as a puppet theatre

A triumph of colour

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

Between white and black

A half-Baroque church

Some prestigious works

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

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

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

The Burgos crucifix

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

A new site for a new city

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

Feasting in Palazzolo

The colours of the cathedral

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

A new site for a new church

Some masterpieces

Norman apses

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

A square as the heart of the city

An eagle-shaped city

Prominent façade

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

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

Discovering the mother church

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

The two churches

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

The theatre of taste

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

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

The interior and its masterpieces

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

The church of Carmine

A long reconstruction

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

One city, two sites

Two illustrious patron saints

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

Wonderful quick decorations

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

A city in colour

Many owners, one palace

The city of museums

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

A hall for the feasts

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

The chocolate of Modica

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

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

A prominent church

A feast only for Scicli

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

A miniature city

A talking palace

A majestic and luminous church

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

One city, three sites

A small room with a golden entrance

A colourful floor

Searching for colour

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

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

Limestone, the colour of harmony

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

St. Sebastian, so much work!

The wall comes to life

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento