Caltagirone

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

hearing
Listening was important

With a little imagination you can return to 1800 when the church was still used by the nuns and you could listen to the liturgical celebrations.
Worshippers and the nuns attended mass. But there was a problem!
The nuns could not be seen by anyone because they lived in seclusion.
So how did they attend mass? Galleries, like a sort of box seat, were built with louvre blinds (grilles), behind which they could watch the celebrations without being seen.

touch
Touch to discover

Touching objects is one of our instincts and gives us an immediate connection to what is in front of us.
Touching the façade of Santa Chiara (St. Claire) would help us understand the material’s hardness, the stone’s temperature and the porosity of the surface (smooth or rough), giving us a great deal of information in a very short time.
When comparing this information with other objects, we uncover the differences between one material and another.
The maiolica tiles on the floor of Santa Chiara are colder and much smoother to the touch than the façade. The wood of the galleries, on the other hand, is warmer than the sandstone façade and the maiolica floor and balustrade.

sight
Antependium

The alter area hides a masterpiece: the antependium.
Situated in the front part of the altar, the artists took inspiration from Renaissance architecture for the decoration.
The result was a splendid scenographic effect, amplified by the use of mirrors and embellished with materials such as amber and wood covered with silver sheets, then worked to imitate gold.
The light that hits it creates wonderful reflections that illuminate the room. foto edificio a specchi

Two illustrious patron saints

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

A square as the heart of the city

A miniature city

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

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

A small room with a golden entrance

A city in colour

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

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

One city, two sites

Feasting in Palazzolo

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

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

A hall for the feasts

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

The interior and its masterpieces

The Staircase of Angels

A colourful floor

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

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

A feast only for Scicli

Norman apses

A Nobel Prize in Modica

A majestic and luminous church

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

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

The two churches

A triumph of colour

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

The internal colours

A long reconstruction

One city, three sites

Limestone, the colour of harmony

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

The senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation

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

Some prestigious works

The Burgos crucifix

Feast days

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

The façade used as a puppet theatre

An eagle-shaped city

Between white and black

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

A prominent church

The Baroque town by the sea

Many owners, one palace

Some masterpieces

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

The city of museums

The chocolate of Modica

A half-Baroque church

Searching for colour

The theatre of taste

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

The disastrous earthquake

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

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

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

Wonderful quick decorations

A symbol for the town

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

Connections with other UNESCO sites

New roads for Catania

From International Gothic to present day

A new site for a new city

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

The colours of the cathedral

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

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

A new site for a new church

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

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

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

A museum to save a tradition

Prominent façade

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

St. Sebastian, so much work!

A talking palace

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

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

Modica, a city with ancient origins

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

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

The Maiolica of the staircase

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

Discovering the mother church

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

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

The wall comes to life

The church of Carmine