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 feast only for Scicli

Some prestigious works

A small room with a golden entrance

Two illustrious patron saints

Modica, a city with ancient origins

A symbol for the town

The Staircase of Angels

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

From International Gothic to present day

The interior and its masterpieces

A miniature city

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

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

The Baroque town by the sea

Norman apses

A half-Baroque church

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

Some masterpieces

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

An eagle-shaped city

A hall for the feasts

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

The wall comes to life

The internal colours

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

One city, two sites

Connections with other UNESCO sites

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

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

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

Wonderful quick decorations

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

The theatre of taste

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

The façade used as a puppet theatre

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

Between white and black

One city, three sites

Searching for colour

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

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

New roads for Catania

Feast days

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

Many owners, one palace

A majestic and luminous church

A city in colour

A prominent church

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

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

The church of Carmine

Feasting in Palazzolo

A long reconstruction

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

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

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

The senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation

A talking palace

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 Sebastiano

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

The Maiolica of the staircase

The disastrous earthquake

The two churches

St. Sebastian, so much work!

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

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

The chocolate of Modica

A colourful floor

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

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

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

Discovering the mother church

A new site for a new church

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

Limestone, the colour of harmony

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

The Burgos crucifix

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

A new site for a new city

Prominent façade

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

The colours of the cathedral

A museum to save a tradition

The city of museums

A triumph of colour

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

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

A Nobel Prize in Modica

A square as the heart of the city

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town