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

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

Two illustrious patron saints

A talking palace

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

The Burgos crucifix

Many owners, one palace

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

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

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

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

Modica, a city with ancient origins

A feast only for Scicli

The chocolate of Modica

A symbol for the town

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

A triumph of colour

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

Some masterpieces

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

A majestic and luminous church

The church of Carmine

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

A new site for a new city

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

The Baroque town by the sea

A square as the heart of the city

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

Between white and black

A small room with a golden entrance

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

Feasting in Palazzolo

A city in colour

The city of museums

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

A long reconstruction

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

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

The façade used as a puppet theatre

An eagle-shaped city

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

A half-Baroque church

A prominent church

St. Sebastian, so much work!

New roads for Catania

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

A Nobel Prize in Modica

The two churches

The disastrous earthquake

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

A miniature city

The interior and its masterpieces

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

From International Gothic to present day

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

Feast days

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

Prominent façade

The theatre of taste

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

Wonderful quick decorations

One city, two sites

A museum to save a tradition

The Maiolica of the staircase

Searching for colour

The Staircase of Angels

Connections with other UNESCO sites

One city, three sites

Some prestigious works

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

A hall for the feasts

Limestone, the colour of harmony

The colours of the cathedral

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

The senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation

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

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

A colourful floor

The internal colours

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

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

Discovering the mother church

A new site for a new church

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

Norman apses

The wall comes to life

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

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

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

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

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata