Catania

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

One of the most evocative rooms of the monastery is the kitchen.
foto cucina della portaLike the refectory, antirefectory, library and museum, the space dedicated to preparing food was designed by Giovan Battista Vaccarini and its construction began in 1739.
foto cucina dei benedettiniThe architect had to take into account the rules of monastic architecture, which meant separating the kitchen from the other rooms. This way, if there was a fire, it would not spread to the other rooms.
Similarly, the passageways leading to the refectory as well as being narrow were equipped with multiple barriers.
The kitchen underwent various changes over the years, but the structure has remained the same with the hearths in the centre, a huge brazier placed in an octagonal “chamber”.
The maiolica decorations that enrich the structure create splendid orange and blue squares with a white background of abstract motifs. The floor is just as surprising. Also made with colourful maiolica tiles, it extends across the whole room. However, the floor is not simple or uniform; it is divided into eight parts with two different alternating decorations.
The first is a white floor with fine blue, black and yellow geometric decorations that cover the smaller portions; the other is larger and more colourful, where yellow and green dominate the blue, orange and white decoration. foto Dettaglio maioliche

Two illustrious patron saints

The internal colours

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

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

A long reconstruction

Connections with other UNESCO sites

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

The two churches

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

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

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

The city of museums

One city, three sites

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

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

Between white and black

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

A square as the heart of the city

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

Some prestigious works

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

A museum to save a tradition

St. Sebastian, so much work!

A Nobel Prize in Modica

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

The Maiolica of the staircase

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

Prominent façade

The interior and its masterpieces

The wall comes to life

The chocolate of Modica

A triumph of colour

The senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation

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

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

A city in colour

Norman apses

A colourful floor

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

The Staircase of Angels

Many owners, one palace

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

Feasting in Palazzolo

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

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

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

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

A new site for a new city

Limestone, the colour of harmony

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

The Baroque town by the sea

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

Some masterpieces

New roads for Catania

The theatre of taste

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

The disastrous earthquake

Modica, a city with ancient origins

A talking palace

A prominent church

Feast days

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

Searching for colour

A hall for the feasts

The colours of the cathedral

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

Wonderful quick decorations

A new site for a new church

A small room with a golden entrance

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

Discovering the mother church

The church of Carmine

A half-Baroque church

The Burgos crucifix

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

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

A majestic and luminous church

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

A feast only for Scicli

An eagle-shaped city

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

From International Gothic to present day

A miniature city

One city, two sites

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

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

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

The façade used as a puppet theatre

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

A symbol for the town

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church