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

A colourful floor

An eagle-shaped city

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The city of museums

A city in colour

The interior and its masterpieces

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The disastrous earthquake

A museum to save a tradition

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The chocolate of Modica

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

St. Sebastian, so much work!

Wonderful quick decorations

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

A half-Baroque church

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

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

The internal colours

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

Modica, a city with ancient origins

A prominent church

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St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

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A long reconstruction

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New roads for Catania

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A miniature city

Many owners, one palace

The Baroque town by the sea

A symbol for the town

A Nobel Prize in Modica

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

The wall comes to life

The two churches

A square as the heart of the city

Between white and black

The Maiolica of the staircase

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One city, two sites

The colours of the cathedral

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

A majestic and luminous church

A new site for a new church

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

The church of Carmine

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

Two illustrious patron saints

The theatre of taste

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

A hall for the feasts

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

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

One city, three sites

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

Norman apses

Some prestigious works

A talking palace

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

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

Searching for colour

From International Gothic to present day

The senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation

Feast days

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

The façade used as a puppet theatre

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

A small room with a golden entrance

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

A feast only for Scicli

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

Prominent façade

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

Discovering the mother church

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

The Burgos crucifix

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

A triumph of colour

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

Feasting in Palazzolo

Limestone, the colour of harmony

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

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

The Staircase of Angels

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

Some masterpieces