Catania

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

The church of San Giuliano (St. Julian) has a majestic white marble façade protected by a tall wrought iron gate.
foto con i tre portali
One of the structure’s most characteristic elements is undoubtedly the belly of the central section. The façade is also divided into two levels: the first contains the portals, but only the middle one grants access to the church; the second features seven louvre , windows, with the largest in the centre. The marble façade contrasts with the large octagon of the dark grey lava stone dome. A white stone loggia was built on it, which allowed the nuns to admire the city, and above all to watch the procession of St. Agatha passing along Via dei Crociferi.
foto particolare timpano su facciata  foto della parte alta tamburo ottagonale
The interior was enchanting! Plays of light and colour create an incredible atmosphere in the church.
Small and cosy thanks to the Greek cross central plan , the church floor immediately catches the eye, with white and red geometric designs. The white walls are illuminated by gold which outlines the edges and the most important elements. The church was also enriched by four chapels whose artwork broke up the white of the walls.

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

A small room with a golden entrance

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

Some prestigious works

The interior and its masterpieces

Feast days

The city of museums

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

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

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

A triumph of colour

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

Limestone, the colour of harmony

A prominent church

A half-Baroque church

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

St. Sebastian, so much work!

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

One city, two sites

A city in colour

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

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

An eagle-shaped city

A long reconstruction

Feasting in Palazzolo

A museum to save a tradition

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

The senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation

New roads for Catania

The disastrous earthquake

The two churches

The façade used as a puppet theatre

A colourful floor

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

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

A miniature city

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

A square as the heart of the city

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

Prominent façade

The Maiolica of the staircase

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

A talking palace

The Burgos crucifix

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

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

A feast only for Scicli

Modica, a city with ancient origins

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

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

The Baroque town by the sea

From International Gothic to present day

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

Connections with other UNESCO sites

The theatre of taste

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

The Staircase of Angels

The chocolate of Modica

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

The church of Carmine

The wall comes to life

The internal colours

Discovering the mother church

Between white and black

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

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

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

Two illustrious patron saints

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

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

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

Norman apses

A new site for a new church

A majestic and luminous church

A Nobel Prize in Modica

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

A hall for the feasts

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

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

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

A symbol for the town

Many owners, one palace

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

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

A new site for a new city

Searching for colour

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

Some masterpieces

The colours of the cathedral

One city, three sites

Wonderful quick decorations

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom