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.

The Baroque town by the sea

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

One city, two sites

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

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

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

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

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

Wonderful quick decorations

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

A small room with a golden entrance

The Staircase of Angels

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

A feast only for Scicli

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

A triumph of colour

Discovering the mother church

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

A symbol for the town

Some prestigious works

A majestic and luminous church

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

The Burgos crucifix

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

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

A new site for a new city

Many owners, one palace

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

The internal colours

A talking palace

The wall comes to life

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

The two churches

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

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

From International Gothic to present day

Prominent façade

A Nobel Prize in Modica

Feasting in Palazzolo

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

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

Limestone, the colour of harmony

Some masterpieces

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

A miniature city

A prominent church

A long reconstruction

A half-Baroque church

A city in colour

Between white and black

One city, three sites

An eagle-shaped city

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

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

Norman apses

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

The colours of the cathedral

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

Two illustrious patron saints

Modica, a city with ancient origins

A colourful floor

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

The theatre of taste

The church of Carmine

The interior and its masterpieces

The chocolate of Modica

Connections with other UNESCO sites

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

The disastrous earthquake

Feast days

The façade used as a puppet theatre

St. Sebastian, so much work!

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

A hall for the feasts

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

New roads for Catania

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

The Maiolica of the staircase

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

The senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation

A square as the heart of the city

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

A museum to save a tradition

The city of museums

A new site for a new church

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

Searching for colour