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

Searching for colour

A Nobel Prize in Modica

St. Sebastian, so much work!

Some prestigious works

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

The façade used as a puppet theatre

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

The chocolate of Modica

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

Norman apses

The Baroque town by the sea

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

A half-Baroque church

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

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

The two churches

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

The wall comes to life

A colourful floor

Between white and black

Modica, a city with ancient origins

Discovering the mother church

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

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

The church of Carmine

Feast days

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

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

A feast only for Scicli

A small room with a golden entrance

A square as the heart of the city

The Maiolica of the staircase

A new site for a new church

The disastrous earthquake

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

The city of museums

Some masterpieces

A city in colour

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

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

Limestone, the colour of harmony

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

A majestic and luminous church

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

A symbol for the town

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

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

Wonderful quick decorations

A new site for a new city

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

A miniature city

Connections with other UNESCO sites

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

The senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

A triumph of colour

From International Gothic to present day

New roads for Catania

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

A hall for the feasts

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

The colours of the cathedral

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

A talking palace

Feasting in Palazzolo

A long reconstruction

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

One city, three sites

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

The internal colours

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

Prominent façade

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

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

A museum to save a tradition

The Staircase of Angels

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

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

Two illustrious patron saints

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

Many owners, one palace

The theatre of taste

An eagle-shaped city

The Burgos crucifix

A prominent church

The interior and its masterpieces

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

One city, two sites

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca