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 majestic and luminous church

Two illustrious patron saints

Feast days

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

A new site for a new city

The theatre of taste

Feasting in Palazzolo

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

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

A square as the heart of the city

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

Modica, a city with ancient origins

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

Norman apses

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

The Burgos crucifix

Searching for colour

A small room with a golden entrance

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

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

A half-Baroque church

From International Gothic to present day

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

A prominent church

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

The disastrous earthquake

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

A hall for the feasts

A talking palace

An eagle-shaped city

New roads for Catania

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

One city, three sites

The chocolate of Modica

The façade used as a puppet theatre

Between white and black

The church of Carmine

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

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

The city of museums

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

The colours of the cathedral

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

The Maiolica of the staircase

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

Some prestigious works

A city in colour

The two churches

A Nobel Prize in Modica

A miniature city

One city, two sites

Limestone, the colour of harmony

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

Wonderful quick decorations

Prominent façade

Many owners, one palace

A feast only for Scicli

The senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

A museum to save a tradition

The interior and its masterpieces

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

St. Sebastian, so much work!

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

A symbol for the town

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

The Baroque town by the sea

The Staircase of Angels

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

A triumph of colour

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

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

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

Connections with other UNESCO sites

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

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

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

A colourful floor

The internal colours

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

A new site for a new church

A long reconstruction

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

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

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

Some masterpieces

Discovering the mother church

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

The wall comes to life