Militello in Val di Catania

The senses tell the story of the Sanctuary Church of Santa Maria della Stella

sight
The unveiling of the Madonna della Stella

statua della Madonna
On the eve of the Feast of the Madonna in Militello, which is celebrated on 8th September, one of the most exciting moments of the celebration takes place.
Before the statue is unveiled, and before the ritual celebrations, the crowd waits in muffled silence.
The statue is kept in a niche hidden by an iron sliding door that slowly opens to reveal the statue of the Madonna della Stella in all its shining beauty.

touch
The precious liturgical vestments

In the church of Madonna della Stella there is a collection of ancient liturgical vestments, clothes worn by the priest during celebration of the services.
Some of the precious fabrics of the vestments were donated by rich lords who traded fabrics, some of which came from Egypt.
The fabrics, now disused, were remodelled by the cloistered nuns, who supported themselves with these sartorial works by making wonderful priestly clothes enriched with gold thread embroidery.

taste
Quince paste

cotognataCotognata (quince paste) is a tasty typical sweet. It is made with quince, lemon and sugar and is cooked using the same process as jam.
Sometimes, on the occasion of certain festivities, these sweets are created with moulds and shapes, such as the patron saint or the coats of arms.
This culinary experience links votive tradition with flavour.

hearing
The Polizzi brothers’organ

organoThe magnificent pipe organ that rises from the chancel above the large entrance portal was built between 1925 and 1928 by the brothers Michele and Agostino Polizzi of Modica, who sought to bring back Baroque melodies to the restored church.
In fact, the sound of this scenographic instrument takes inspiration from some typical Serassian sounds, i.e. a range of 19th-century organ sounds, composed by the famous dynasty of organ masters, the Serassi family.

The city palace

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

The eagle-shaped city

The Franciscan convent

The Badia di Sant’Agata (St. Agatha’s Abbey)

The senses tell the Cathedral of San Giorgio

The Church of Madonna della Stella

Akrai and Syracuse: an unbreakable bond

Piazza Duomo, the elephant fountain, the heart of the city

Unusual iconographies: the Burgos crucifix

The Church of St. Julian on Via dei Crociferi

Barresi-Branciforte: the lords of the fiefdom and the modernisation of the town

Altars, saints and sculptural works

The two churches

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

The church and the college

The senses tell the Benedictine Monastery and the Church of San Nicolò l’Arena

The Church of St. Mary of the Mountain

The Duomo di San Giorgio (Cathedral of St. George)

The Monte delle Prestanze in the new city layout

The palace, the town, the church

The Benedictines’ library

Expanded spaces, stucco and colourful lights

The senses tell the Church of San Michele

The new roads of the city

Baroque creativity: recurring themes

The Antonino Uccello Birthplace Museum

Militello: The story of an enlightened fiefdom

Palazzo Trigona: a building with a complex shape

Scenography and devotion for St. Agatha

The Church of St. John the Evangelist

Virtuosity, decorations and altars

A new site for the church of San Giorgio

The works in the church

Verticality and dynamism of the façade of the Church of San Carlo

The expansion of space and changing reality

The illusion of light and the decorative splendour

Views denied, views conquered: the power of the devout Benedictines

A unifying project for the city of Catania

The church of San Nicolò l’Arena: the majesty of an unfinished beauty

Palazzo Trigona di Canicarao

Art in the cathedral

Luminous sacred spaces

Baroque and the loss of balance in the 16th century

A stone garden

A heritage of votive works

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

The church and the monastery

The city within the city

The articulated interior spaces

The beginning of an authentic Baroque conception

Palazzo Zacco, a balance between sobriety and decoration

Religious architecture

A compromise between Neoclassicism and Baroque

Geometry and wonder in civic architecture in the Baroque of the Val di Noto

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

The senses tell the story of the Sanctuary Church of Santa Maria della Stella

The interiors: diffused light and Byzantine relics

St. Agatha and the candelore

Scenography, lights and colours of the cathedral

A Nobel Prize in Modica

The Church of St. Paul

The freedom of worship and the Catholic Church’s role in the diffusion of Baroque

The senses tell about Palazzo Trigona

The Infiorata of Noto, a modern tradition

The interior of the church: space and colour

The interior and works of art

A story of rebirth

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Carlo and the former Jesuit college

The Church of St. Francis

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

Scicli, the city of Baroque scenery

Fountain of the Nymph Zizza: public water in the town

The Monastery of the Benedictine nuns

The art of maiolica

The senses tell about Palazzo Beneventano

The triumph of Baroque: expansion of spaces

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

The senses tell of Palazzo della Cancelleria

The Madonna dei Conadomini and the art of devotion

Expansion, spatiality and light in the church of San Domenico

City and nature

Reconstruction after the earthquake

The city of Modica, a balance between nature and urbanism

Majestic exteriors, grandiose interiors

The Staircase of Angels

A casket of precious works

The senses tell about Palazzo Zacco

The Palazzo dei due mori

From the end of the world to rebirth from the rubble

One city, three sites

The dynamics of the Church of San Michele

The senses tell the Cathedral of San Giorgio

Madonna of the Militia: a singular warrior virgin

The senses tell the Church of San Domenico

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

The senses tell of the Cathedral of San Pietro

The Church of St. Benedict

Rebirth and urban planning of the city of Noto

The neo-Gothic seminary chapel: symbols, light and space

Palazzo della Cancelleria: from former stable to the Nicastro family

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Paolo

San Domenico and Gagliardi’s work

The senses tell about Palazzo Ducezio

The smallest Greek theatre in the world

The casket of austerity under the great dome