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.

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

One city, two sites

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

A new site for a new city

A prominent church

A museum to save a tradition

Prominent façade

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

The two churches

A new site for a new church

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

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

One city, three sites

The city of museums

A small room with a golden entrance

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

The Staircase of Angels

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

Feasting in Palazzolo

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

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

The disastrous earthquake

A square as the heart of the city

The senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation

The Baroque town by the sea

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

A triumph of colour

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

The interior and its masterpieces

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

The church of Carmine

A symbol for the town

New roads for Catania

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

The theatre of taste

Searching for colour

Feast days

Some prestigious works

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

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

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

A Nobel Prize in Modica

The façade used as a puppet theatre

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

The internal colours

From International Gothic to present day

A half-Baroque church

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

Modica, a city with ancient origins

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

A colourful floor

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

Wonderful quick decorations

A hall for the feasts

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

A majestic and luminous church

The Burgos crucifix

St. Sebastian, so much work!

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

A city in colour

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

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

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

A long reconstruction

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

Many owners, one palace

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

The chocolate of Modica

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

Some masterpieces

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

An eagle-shaped city

The Maiolica of the staircase

Discovering the mother church

Between white and black

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

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

The colours of the cathedral

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

Connections with other UNESCO sites

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

Two illustrious patron saints

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

A miniature city

A feast only for Scicli

Limestone, the colour of harmony

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

The wall comes to life

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

Norman apses

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

A talking palace