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 wall comes to life

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

Feasting in Palazzolo

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

A prominent church

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

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

Searching for colour

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

Norman apses

The theatre of taste

One city, two sites

The two churches

The Maiolica of the staircase

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

The church of Carmine

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

Wonderful quick decorations

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

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

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

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

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

Between white and black

A small room with a golden entrance

Two illustrious patron saints

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

The Staircase of Angels

The Burgos crucifix

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

A half-Baroque church

Many owners, one palace

A new site for a new church

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

Connections with other UNESCO sites

The colours of the cathedral

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

The façade used as a puppet theatre

Limestone, the colour of harmony

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

Some prestigious works

One city, three sites

The interior and its masterpieces

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

The city of museums

A triumph of colour

A long reconstruction

A Nobel Prize in Modica

Feast days

Prominent façade

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

The chocolate of Modica

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

Discovering the mother church

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

A miniature city

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

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

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

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

Modica, a city with ancient origins

A hall for the feasts

A city in colour

The senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

A square as the heart of the city

The disastrous earthquake

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

The internal colours

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

A feast only for Scicli

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

A museum to save a tradition

A talking palace

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

From International Gothic to present day

The Baroque town by the sea

An eagle-shaped city

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

St. Sebastian, so much work!

Some masterpieces

New roads for Catania

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

A symbol for the town

A majestic and luminous church

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

A colourful floor

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

A new site for a new city