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.

Modica, a city with ancient origins

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

New roads for Catania

One city, three sites

Connections with other UNESCO sites

Prominent façade

A square as the heart of the city

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

The Baroque town by the sea

A hall for the feasts

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

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

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

Searching for colour

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

Norman apses

A new site for a new city

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

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

The Maiolica of the staircase

The senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

One city, two sites

A talking palace

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

The theatre of taste

A city in colour

Wonderful quick decorations

Between white and black

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

A small room with a golden entrance

The chocolate of Modica

An eagle-shaped city

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

St. Sebastian, so much work!

A colourful floor

Discovering the mother church

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

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

Some masterpieces

Feasting in Palazzolo

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

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

A museum to save a tradition

A long reconstruction

Limestone, the colour of harmony

The Burgos crucifix

A triumph of colour

Many owners, one palace

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

Feast days

A symbol for the town

A miniature city

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

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

Some prestigious works

A half-Baroque church

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

A prominent church

The internal colours

The colours of the cathedral

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

A Nobel Prize in Modica

The Staircase of Angels

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

The wall comes to life

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

The disastrous earthquake

The city of museums

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

The two churches

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

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

From International Gothic to present day

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

Two illustrious patron saints

A feast only for Scicli

The façade used as a puppet theatre

A new site for a new church

The church of Carmine

The interior and its masterpieces

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

A majestic and luminous church

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara