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

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

Discovering the mother church

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

The Staircase of Angels

A museum to save a tradition

The two churches

A symbol for the town

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

Some prestigious works

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

The Maiolica of the staircase

A new site for a new church

Prominent façade

Two illustrious patron saints

Some masterpieces

A small room with a golden entrance

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

A talking palace

Connections with other UNESCO sites

The chocolate of Modica

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

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

One city, two sites

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

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

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

A triumph of colour

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

A half-Baroque church

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

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

A colourful floor

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

The disastrous earthquake

A hall for the feasts

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

A Nobel Prize in Modica

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

Between white and black

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

The internal colours

Searching for colour

A miniature city

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

Feasting in Palazzolo

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

A long reconstruction

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

The church of Carmine

The interior and its masterpieces

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

A new site for a new city

Norman apses

A city in colour

A feast only for Scicli

The colours of the cathedral

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

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

A prominent church

Feast days

The senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation

One city, three sites

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

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

The city of museums

A square as the heart of the city

An eagle-shaped city

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

A majestic and luminous church

St. Sebastian, so much work!

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

The Baroque town by the sea

The façade used as a puppet theatre

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

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

Many owners, one palace

The Burgos crucifix

The theatre of taste

The wall comes to life

Wonderful quick decorations

From International Gothic to present day

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

New roads for Catania

Limestone, the colour of harmony