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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The Barresi-Branciforte lords

A long reconstruction

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Wonderful quick decorations

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Connections with other UNESCO sites

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Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

Feast days

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Feasting in Palazzolo

The internal colours

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

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Two illustrious patron saints

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

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Searching for colour

Some masterpieces

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A symbol for the town

The theatre of taste

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

A Nobel Prize in Modica

A city in colour

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

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

The church of Carmine

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

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The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

A museum to save a tradition

Limestone, the colour of harmony

The chocolate of Modica

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The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

The façade used as a puppet theatre

A talking palace

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Norman apses

The Burgos crucifix

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The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

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Some prestigious works

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

A new site for a new church

The Staircase of Angels

A feast only for Scicli

Prominent façade

Between white and black

Many owners, one palace

The Maiolica of the staircase

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

The colours of the cathedral

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The two churches

The disastrous earthquake

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