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

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

One city, two sites

A miniature city

The façade used as a puppet theatre

The Staircase of Angels

A talking palace

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

A majestic and luminous church

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

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

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

A long reconstruction

The disastrous earthquake

The Baroque town by the sea

A small room with a golden entrance

The two churches

An eagle-shaped city

A city in colour

The wall comes to life

The church of Carmine

Modica, a city with ancient origins

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

The interior and its masterpieces

Connections with other UNESCO sites

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

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

A feast only for Scicli

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

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

Many owners, one palace

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

A half-Baroque church

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

A prominent church

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

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

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

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

A symbol for the town

A museum to save a tradition

A hall for the feasts

The internal colours

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

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

Between white and black

Feasting in Palazzolo

A Nobel Prize in Modica

Prominent façade

Feast days

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

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

A new site for a new church

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

Wonderful quick decorations

Norman apses

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

The senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation

The colours of the cathedral

St. Sebastian, so much work!

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

Two illustrious patron saints

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

The Burgos crucifix

The Maiolica of the staircase

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

A colourful floor

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

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

New roads for Catania

From International Gothic to present day

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

Some prestigious works

A square as the heart of the city

Discovering the mother church

One city, three sites

Searching for colour

The theatre of taste

Limestone, the colour of harmony

A triumph of colour

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

Some masterpieces

The chocolate of Modica

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

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

The city of museums

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

A new site for a new city