Catania

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

sight
Brightness and light

Colour, light and more colour!
The vault is a riot of colour, capable of making the figures and shapes stand out, and leaving visitors gazing upwards.
As for the altar, it attracts attention thanks to the brilliance and shine of gold, silver and the precious sparkling stones used to decorate it.
The church is a treasure trove of precious jewels.

hearing
A sound to accompany prayer

It’s 1790 and you’re inside the church of St. Benedict, attending one of the services… You can hear something… what is it?
The organ!
With a sound alternating between gentle and low, it accompanies prayer as impressed worshippers celebrate Holy Mass.
Then the bells announce the end of the service.
Their chimes vibrate in the atmosphere and resonate along Via dei Crociferi.

The city of museums

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

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

Between white and black

A Nobel Prize in Modica

The theatre of taste

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

Norman apses

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

The chocolate of Modica

The senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

A long reconstruction

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

The disastrous earthquake

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

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

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

A triumph of colour

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

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

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

From International Gothic to present day

Wonderful quick decorations

A symbol for the town

A feast only for Scicli

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

Feast days

One city, two sites

A new site for a new church

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

A majestic and luminous church

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

Some masterpieces

The Burgos crucifix

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

New roads for Catania

The church of Carmine

A museum to save a tradition

A hall for the feasts

Searching for colour

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

Limestone, the colour of harmony

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

A small room with a golden entrance

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

The internal colours

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

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

A new site for a new city

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

One city, three sites

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

The wall comes to life

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

Two illustrious patron saints

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

Modica, a city with ancient origins

A half-Baroque church

St. Sebastian, so much work!

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

Discovering the mother church

A colourful floor

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

The Baroque town by the sea

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

A square as the heart of the city

A city in colour

The two churches

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

An eagle-shaped city

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

A prominent church

A talking palace

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

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

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

Connections with other UNESCO sites

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

A miniature city

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

The Maiolica of the staircase

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

The façade used as a puppet theatre

Prominent façade

Some prestigious works

Many owners, one palace

The Staircase of Angels

The colours of the cathedral

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

The interior and its masterpieces

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

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

Feasting in Palazzolo