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.

Some masterpieces

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

A new site for a new city

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

A square as the heart of the city

Prominent façade

Searching for colour

The façade used as a puppet theatre

The church of Carmine

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

Wonderful quick decorations

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

The internal colours

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

Modica, a city with ancient origins

Limestone, the colour of harmony

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

A long reconstruction

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

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

The Staircase of Angels

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

An eagle-shaped city

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

A Nobel Prize in Modica

Two illustrious patron saints

The colours of the cathedral

New roads for Catania

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

A half-Baroque church

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

The disastrous earthquake

A feast only for Scicli

St. Sebastian, so much work!

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

A talking palace

Feast days

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

Connections with other UNESCO sites

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

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

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

The Burgos crucifix

The wall comes to life

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

From International Gothic to present day

Norman apses

A new site for a new church

One city, three sites

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

A symbol for the town

The interior and its masterpieces

The Baroque town by the sea

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

A prominent church

A small room with a golden entrance

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

The Maiolica of the staircase

One city, two sites

Discovering the mother church

A triumph of colour

A majestic and luminous church

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

The theatre of taste

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

A museum to save a tradition

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

A colourful floor

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

The senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation

The city of museums

Many owners, one palace

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

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

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

Between white and black

The chocolate of Modica

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

A miniature city

Feasting in Palazzolo

Some prestigious works

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

A city in colour

A hall for the feasts

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

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

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

The two churches