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 design by Vincenzo Sinatra

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

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

Searching for colour

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

A symbol for the town

Between white and black

The Staircase of Angels

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

A prominent church

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

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

The wall comes to life

Some prestigious works

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

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

One city, two sites

The two churches

A Nobel Prize in Modica

The Burgos crucifix

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

A square as the heart of the city

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

St. Sebastian, so much work!

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

The senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation

Modica, a city with ancient origins

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

Some masterpieces

A colourful floor

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

Feast days

An eagle-shaped city

A half-Baroque church

From International Gothic to present day

A hall for the feasts

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

Two illustrious patron saints

Many owners, one palace

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

A majestic and luminous church

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

The disastrous earthquake

Norman apses

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

A talking palace

Wonderful quick decorations

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

Feasting in Palazzolo

Limestone, the colour of harmony

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

The Maiolica of the staircase

The façade used as a puppet theatre

A new site for a new church

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

The church of Carmine

The interior and its masterpieces

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

A triumph of colour

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

A long reconstruction

The Baroque town by the sea

A new site for a new city

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

The theatre of taste

A miniature city

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

Connections with other UNESCO sites

The internal colours

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

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

A feast only for Scicli

A city in colour

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

The chocolate of Modica

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

Discovering the mother church

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

The colours of the cathedral

A museum to save a tradition

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

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

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

New roads for Catania

One city, three sites

The city of museums

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

Prominent façade

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

A small room with a golden entrance

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso