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

Some prestigious works

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

The city of museums

From International Gothic to present day

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

A square as the heart of the city

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

The Staircase of Angels

An eagle-shaped city

A long reconstruction

A talking palace

The interior and its masterpieces

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

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

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

Two illustrious patron saints

The disastrous earthquake

Feasting in Palazzolo

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

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

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

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

Some masterpieces

A city in colour

The Maiolica of the staircase

A new site for a new church

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

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

A triumph of colour

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

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

The wall comes to life

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

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

The theatre of taste

Searching for colour

The colours of the cathedral

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

A prominent church

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

The chocolate of Modica

Prominent façade

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

The internal colours

A small room with a golden entrance

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

The church of Carmine

One city, three sites

Wonderful quick decorations

A half-Baroque church

The Baroque town by the sea

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

A feast only for Scicli

St. Sebastian, so much work!

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

A Nobel Prize in Modica

A hall for the feasts

The senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

A new site for a new city

The façade used as a puppet theatre

Many owners, one palace

One city, two sites

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

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

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

Norman apses

Feast days

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

A symbol for the town

A majestic and luminous church

Connections with other UNESCO sites

Between white and black

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

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

Limestone, the colour of harmony

A miniature city

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

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

Modica, a city with ancient origins

The Burgos crucifix

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

A museum to save a tradition

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

Discovering the mother church

The two churches

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

A colourful floor

New roads for Catania