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

The disastrous earthquake

One city, three sites

A museum to save a tradition

A small room with a golden entrance

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

Prominent façade

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

The theatre of taste

New roads for Catania

Two illustrious patron saints

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

A city in colour

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

The façade used as a puppet theatre

Feast days

A triumph of colour

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

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

The chocolate of Modica

One city, two sites

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

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

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

Connections with other UNESCO sites

A majestic and luminous church

Searching for colour

Some prestigious works

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

A half-Baroque church

The Maiolica of the staircase

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

From International Gothic to present day

Discovering the mother church

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

A Nobel Prize in Modica

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

A feast only for Scicli

The city of museums

Feasting in Palazzolo

Some masterpieces

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

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

An eagle-shaped city

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

The internal colours

The wall comes to life

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

A colourful floor

A hall for the feasts

The Baroque town by the sea

Between white and black

Many owners, one palace

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

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

Limestone, the colour of harmony

A long reconstruction

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

A new site for a new city

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

A miniature city

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

Norman apses

Modica, a city with ancient origins

A new site for a new church

A symbol for the town

The Burgos crucifix

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

Wonderful quick decorations

The interior and its masterpieces

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

The colours of the cathedral

St. Sebastian, so much work!

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

A prominent church

A square as the heart of the city

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

A talking palace

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

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

The senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation

The Staircase of Angels

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

The church of Carmine

The two churches

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)