Catania

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

sight
The façade with a play on colour

foto bicromiaOf all the wonders of Piazza Duomo, the cathedral certainly does not go unnoticed.
Thanks to a play on colour between the white limestone and grey lava stone, the façade figures prominently in the square.
The two colours alternate with one another to create a perfect harmony that adds liveliness to the façade.
The colours are not always the same; at different times of the day they shine differently depending on the light.

touch
Coarse to smooth, hot to cold

Look but don’t touch! How many times have you heard this said in museums or churches?
But if you could touch each material that made up the church you would notice how different they are; starting with the pillars that separate the central nave from the lateral naves, the former in lava stone and the latter in white limestone.
On a hot summer day, the outside walls will be much warmer than those inside, which will be undoubtedly cold.

hearing
Music in the Cathedral

foto dell'organo l'interno della cattedraleThe church has an unbreakable bond with music.
The cathedral of St. Agatha is not only home to a magnificent organ, now located above the entrance, but the tomb of the musician Vincenzo Bellini (1801-1835).
Though he died very young, he was recognised as one of the greatest composers of his time.
The artist’s tomb was created in 1876 by Giovanni Battista Tassara and is located next to one of the pillars of the right nave.
Bellini was initially buried in Paris at the Père Lachaise Cemetery.

taste
A dessert for a saint

During the feast dedicated to St. Agatha, the “Minne di Sant’Agata”, a dessert made in her honour, are another must.
The shape is unambiguously reminiscent of a woman’s breast, in memory of the terrible martyrdom suffered by the saint.
The dessert consists of a shortcrust pastry shell covered with white icing with a candied cherry on top; the filling is made with sweetened sheep’s milk ricotta, candied fruit and dark chocolate. Yum! Not to be missed if you happen to be in Catania during the feast. foto dei dolci delle minne di Sant'Agata

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Limestone, the colour of harmony

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

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A long reconstruction

The disastrous earthquake

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A new palace for the La Rocca lords

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The Barresi-Branciforte lords

The Burgos crucifix

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A city in colour

Connections with other UNESCO sites

New roads for Catania

Feast days

Modica, a city with ancient origins

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The two churches

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

A museum to save a tradition

A triumph of colour

From International Gothic to present day

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A miniature city

Norman apses

The theatre of taste

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Wonderful quick decorations

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

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Some prestigious works

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Some masterpieces

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

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

A talking palace

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

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The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

The façade used as a puppet theatre

The city of museums

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

Prominent façade

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

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

An eagle-shaped city

The internal colours

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

The colours of the cathedral

A feast only for Scicli

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

A hall for the feasts

A majestic and luminous church

The Staircase of Angels

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The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

A new site for a new city

Between white and black

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The Maiolica of the staircase

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Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

Many owners, one palace

The Baroque town by the sea

Feasting in Palazzolo

A square as the heart of the city

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St. Sebastian, so much work!

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

Two illustrious patron saints

Discovering the mother church

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The chocolate of Modica

A small room with a golden entrance

A Nobel Prize in Modica

The interior and its masterpieces

A symbol for the town

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

One city, three sites