Catania

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

sight
A hypnotic floor

With a splendid geometric design of curved and broken lines pointing towards the centre, the floor of the church of San Giuliano (St. Julian) mesmerises all who look upon it.
The effect is amplified by the contrast between the colours of the floor.
The red stone alternating with white marble with light grey veins is enough to make your head spin.

hearing
The singing of the Benedictines

On the Feast of St. Agatha, the saint’s statue is carried around the city streets in procession.
The long route takes us in front of the church of San Giuliano (St. Julian), where the devout Benedictine nuns, hidden behind the grilles, hear prayers, honour the Saint and take part in one of the most important celebrations.

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

The interior and its masterpieces

The theatre of taste

Wonderful quick decorations

The wall comes to life

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

Some masterpieces

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

The façade used as a puppet theatre

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

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

A new site for a new church

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

A triumph of colour

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

One city, two sites

One city, three sites

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

The two churches

A museum to save a tradition

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

Modica, a city with ancient origins

A prominent church

A long reconstruction

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

A colourful floor

An eagle-shaped city

The Baroque town by the sea

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

Prominent façade

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

The internal colours

A square as the heart of the city

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

A hall for the feasts

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

A city in colour

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

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

Feasting in Palazzolo

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

Norman apses

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

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

A miniature city

Between white and black

The city of museums

Limestone, the colour of harmony

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

A half-Baroque church

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

Searching for colour

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

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

A feast only for Scicli

Some prestigious works

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

New roads for Catania

Two illustrious patron saints

Many owners, one palace

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

The Staircase of Angels

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

St. Sebastian, so much work!

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

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

The senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation

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

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

The Maiolica of the staircase

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

The colours of the cathedral

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

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

The church of Carmine

A new site for a new city

The disastrous earthquake

From International Gothic to present day

A majestic and luminous church

A symbol for the town

Discovering the mother church

A small room with a golden entrance

Connections with other UNESCO sites

The chocolate of Modica

A Nobel Prize in Modica

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

The Burgos crucifix

A talking palace

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

Feast days