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.

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

A city in colour

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

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

A long reconstruction

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

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

A half-Baroque church

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

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

From International Gothic to present day

An eagle-shaped city

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

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

The two churches

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

A majestic and luminous church

The Maiolica of the staircase

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

One city, two sites

The senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation

Feast days

A symbol for the town

The Burgos crucifix

Modica, a city with ancient origins

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

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

Many owners, one palace

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

A miniature city

The disastrous earthquake

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

A prominent church

Discovering the mother church

The internal colours

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

The church of Carmine

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

The colours of the cathedral

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

Some masterpieces

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

A colourful floor

Searching for colour

The city of museums

The interior and its masterpieces

The theatre of taste

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

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

Connections with other UNESCO sites

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

Between white and black

A small room with a golden entrance

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

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

Some prestigious works

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

Limestone, the colour of harmony

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

The Staircase of Angels

A talking palace

A museum to save a tradition

St. Sebastian, so much work!

Two illustrious patron saints

The wall comes to life

The façade used as a puppet theatre

Feasting in Palazzolo

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

A Nobel Prize in Modica

Norman apses

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

Wonderful quick decorations

A hall for the feasts

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

A square as the heart of the city

One city, three sites

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

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

A new site for a new city

A triumph of colour

A feast only for Scicli

A new site for a new church

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

Prominent façade

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

The chocolate of Modica

The Baroque town by the sea

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

New roads for Catania

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe