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

The internal colours

Wonderful quick decorations

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

A miniature city

A colourful floor

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

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

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

The two churches

Prominent façade

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

One city, two sites

Searching for colour

The façade used as a puppet theatre

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

A majestic and luminous church

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

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

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

A square as the heart of the city

The Baroque town by the sea

The colours of the cathedral

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

A talking palace

Feast days

The Burgos crucifix

The Staircase of Angels

Many owners, one palace

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

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

Norman apses

From International Gothic to present day

The chocolate of Modica

Limestone, the colour of harmony

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

St. Sebastian, so much work!

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

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

A feast only for Scicli

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

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

New roads for Catania

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

Modica, a city with ancient origins

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

Between white and black

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

Discovering the mother church

The city of museums

A Nobel Prize in Modica

The wall comes to life

The interior and its masterpieces

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

A hall for the feasts

The theatre of taste

Connections with other UNESCO sites

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

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

Two illustrious patron saints

Some masterpieces

The Maiolica of the staircase

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

A prominent church

Feasting in Palazzolo

A new site for a new church

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

The disastrous earthquake

An eagle-shaped city

A triumph of colour

A museum to save a tradition

A symbol for the town

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

A small room with a golden entrance

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

The senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation

A long reconstruction

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

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

A new site for a new city

A half-Baroque church

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

The church of Carmine

One city, three sites

Some prestigious works

A city in colour