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 senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

Some masterpieces

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

A symbol for the town

The internal colours

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

A feast only for Scicli

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

Many owners, one palace

A museum to save a tradition

A hall for the feasts

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

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

Some prestigious works

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

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

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

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

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

A talking palace

The disastrous earthquake

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

The Staircase of Angels

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

Feast days

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

Feasting in Palazzolo

The city of museums

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

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

The Baroque town by the sea

The façade used as a puppet theatre

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

A half-Baroque church

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

A majestic and luminous church

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

The colours of the cathedral

An eagle-shaped city

One city, three sites

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

The chocolate of Modica

A city in colour

Modica, a city with ancient origins

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

The wall comes to life

Norman apses

From International Gothic to present day

A Nobel Prize in Modica

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

A square as the heart of the city

A small room with a golden entrance

Two illustrious patron saints

Wonderful quick decorations

Limestone, the colour of harmony

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

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

The church of Carmine

Discovering the mother church

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

A new site for a new church

A prominent church

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

Between white and black

Searching for colour

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

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

The interior and its masterpieces

The Maiolica of the staircase

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

One city, two sites

The Burgos crucifix

Connections with other UNESCO sites

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

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

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

Prominent façade

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

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

St. Sebastian, so much work!

New roads for Catania

A colourful floor

A triumph of colour

A long reconstruction

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

A new site for a new city

The senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

The two churches

The theatre of taste

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

A miniature city