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 hall for the feasts

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

Prominent façade

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

The Baroque town by the sea

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

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

A colourful floor

An eagle-shaped city

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

The interior and its masterpieces

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

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

Connections with other UNESCO sites

A long reconstruction

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

The theatre of taste

Two illustrious patron saints

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

A symbol for the town

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

Between white and black

From International Gothic to present day

The two churches

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

Limestone, the colour of harmony

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

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

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

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

The city of museums

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

A half-Baroque church

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

A museum to save a tradition

Norman apses

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

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

A miniature city

New roads for Catania

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

The disastrous earthquake

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

The wall comes to life

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

A new site for a new church

The church of Carmine

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

A city in colour

A talking palace

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

A new site for a new city

A majestic and luminous church

A feast only for Scicli

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

A prominent church

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

The internal colours

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

The colours of the cathedral

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

Searching for colour

Some masterpieces

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

A square as the heart of the city

Some prestigious works

Modica, a city with ancient origins

A triumph of colour

The chocolate of Modica

A small room with a golden entrance

The façade used as a puppet theatre

The Staircase of Angels

One city, two sites

A Nobel Prize in Modica

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

The Burgos crucifix

Discovering the mother church

St. Sebastian, so much work!

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

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

The senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation

Feast days

Wonderful quick decorations

One city, three sites

Feasting in Palazzolo

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

The Maiolica of the staircase

Many owners, one palace