Catania

The theatre of taste

a piscariaA few metres from the cathedral, just past Porta Uzeda, is the fish market, “a piscaria”. It has been home to one of Catania’s historical markets since the early 19th century.
Modest in size, it is now a destination for fish connoisseurs and tourists.
Amidst the colours of red mullet and black mussel shells, the vendors’ shouts mingle with the smell.
Though rather strong and pungent, it’s definitely authentic and encourages visitors to take some fish home. Spices can also be found, to accompany the market purchases. Packaged in unidentified plastic bags, they tell a story of cultural influences steeped in past and present that reveal and release aromas of ancient origin. Observing in this way brings you closer to the beauty of these places.
The market of Catania is a theatre of taste, animated by the traders’ shouts, where you can revel in an atmosphere where time seems to stand still.

A new site for a new city

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

A triumph of colour

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

A hall for the feasts

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

Discovering the mother church

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

A colourful floor

A small room with a golden entrance

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

The Staircase of Angels

A half-Baroque church

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

The Baroque town by the sea

The interior and its masterpieces

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

Limestone, the colour of harmony

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

One city, three sites

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

An eagle-shaped city

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

A prominent church

Feast days

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

Searching for colour

Prominent façade

The chocolate of Modica

A Nobel Prize in Modica

A majestic and luminous church

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

The internal colours

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

The Maiolica of the staircase

Some masterpieces

A new site for a new church

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

New roads for Catania

A talking palace

Modica, a city with ancient origins

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

Connections with other UNESCO sites

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

One city, two sites

From International Gothic to present day

The two churches

The façade used as a puppet theatre

A long reconstruction

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

A city in colour

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

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

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

A symbol for the town

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

The city of museums

A miniature city

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

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

St. Sebastian, so much work!

The Burgos crucifix

A feast only for Scicli

Norman apses

Wonderful quick decorations

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

The church of Carmine

The senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

The colours of the cathedral

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

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

A square as the heart of the city

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

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

Between white and black

A museum to save a tradition

Feasting in Palazzolo

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

The disastrous earthquake

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

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

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

Some prestigious works

The wall comes to life

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

Two illustrious patron saints

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

The theatre of taste

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

Many owners, one palace