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.

St. Sebastian, so much work!

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

A new site for a new church

The disastrous earthquake

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

A miniature city

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

Some masterpieces

Between white and black

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

The internal colours

A new site for a new city

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

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

The wall comes to life

Connections with other UNESCO sites

Discovering the mother church

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

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

Norman apses

A prominent church

The Burgos crucifix

Limestone, the colour of harmony

The chocolate of Modica

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

A talking palace

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

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

From International Gothic to present day

The façade used as a puppet theatre

Two illustrious patron saints

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

A half-Baroque church

Some prestigious works

A hall for the feasts

A long reconstruction

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

A triumph of colour

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

Prominent façade

The two churches

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

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

A Nobel Prize in Modica

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

New roads for Catania

A square as the heart of the city

A city in colour

The interior and its masterpieces

A majestic and luminous church

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

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

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

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

Feast days

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

A museum to save a tradition

An eagle-shaped city

The Baroque town by the sea

One city, two sites

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

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

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

A feast only for Scicli

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

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

A colourful floor

The Maiolica of the staircase

A symbol for the town

Wonderful quick decorations

Many owners, one palace

The church of Carmine

The theatre of taste

Feasting in Palazzolo

The city of museums

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

Searching for colour

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

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

A small room with a golden entrance

Modica, a city with ancient origins

The Staircase of Angels

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

The senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

The colours of the cathedral

One city, three sites