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

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

A miniature city

Prominent façade

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

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

A symbol for the town

St. Sebastian, so much work!

The Maiolica of the staircase

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

A majestic and luminous church

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

One city, two sites

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

An eagle-shaped city

Discovering the mother church

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

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

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

Norman apses

Modica, a city with ancient origins

The disastrous earthquake

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

The church of Carmine

A triumph of colour

A city in colour

The Staircase of Angels

A Nobel Prize in Modica

The wall comes to life

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

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

The façade used as a puppet theatre

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

The theatre of taste

A prominent church

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

Feasting in Palazzolo

New roads for Catania

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

One city, three sites

A half-Baroque church

A new site for a new city

The Burgos crucifix

The Baroque town by the sea

A long reconstruction

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

A new site for a new church

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

The city of museums

From International Gothic to present day

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

Connections with other UNESCO sites

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

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

A talking palace

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

A colourful floor

Feast days

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

Limestone, the colour of harmony

The chocolate of Modica

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

A square as the heart of the city

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

A small room with a golden entrance

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

A feast only for Scicli

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

The interior and its masterpieces

Between white and black

The two churches

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

The internal colours

Many owners, one palace

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

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

A museum to save a tradition

A hall for the feasts

The colours of the cathedral

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

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

Wonderful quick decorations

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

The senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

Two illustrious patron saints

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

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

Some masterpieces

Searching for colour

Some prestigious works

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

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