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

A miniature city

The Staircase of Angels

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

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

The Maiolica of the staircase

New roads for Catania

Feasting in Palazzolo

Limestone, the colour of harmony

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

A feast only for Scicli

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

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

A new site for a new city

A new site for a new church

The chocolate of Modica

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

An eagle-shaped city

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

A hall for the feasts

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

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

Wonderful quick decorations

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

Two illustrious patron saints

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

A long reconstruction

Between white and black

A small room with a golden entrance

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

A Nobel Prize in Modica

A half-Baroque church

The two churches

One city, two sites

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

The city of museums

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

Discovering the mother church

A square as the heart of the city

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

One city, three sites

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

The disastrous earthquake

Some masterpieces

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

The church of Carmine

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

Prominent façade

A triumph of colour

Many owners, one palace

A symbol for the town

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

The Burgos crucifix

Feast days

A majestic and luminous church

A city in colour

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

From International Gothic to present day

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

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

Norman apses

The wall comes to life

St. Sebastian, so much work!

The interior and its masterpieces

A colourful floor

Some prestigious works

The colours of the cathedral

The façade used as a puppet theatre

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

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

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

Modica, a city with ancient origins

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

Connections with other UNESCO sites

The senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation

The theatre of taste

The internal colours

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

Searching for colour

A museum to save a tradition

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

A talking palace

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

A prominent church

The Baroque town by the sea

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto