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

The interior and its masterpieces

A Nobel Prize in Modica

The Staircase of Angels

Prominent façade

A small room with a golden entrance

A city in colour

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

A triumph of colour

The disastrous earthquake

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

A talking palace

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

Norman apses

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

The two churches

A hall for the feasts

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

A colourful floor

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

New roads for Catania

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

Between white and black

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

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

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

The church of Carmine

The senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

Searching for colour

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

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

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

A half-Baroque church

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

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

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

One city, two sites

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

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

A prominent church

Limestone, the colour of harmony

A miniature city

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

The internal colours

Discovering the mother church

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

Some masterpieces

Connections with other UNESCO sites

The Baroque town by the sea

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

Many owners, one palace

A symbol for the town

The city of museums

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

One city, three sites

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

Feast days

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

A square as the heart of the city

The theatre of taste

A feast only for Scicli

St. Sebastian, so much work!

Feasting in Palazzolo

Modica, a city with ancient origins

A new site for a new church

Two illustrious patron saints

A museum to save a tradition

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

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

The façade used as a puppet theatre

Wonderful quick decorations

The Burgos crucifix

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

A majestic and luminous church

Some prestigious works

The Maiolica of the staircase

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

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

The wall comes to life

The colours of the cathedral

An eagle-shaped city

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

The chocolate of Modica

A new site for a new city

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

From International Gothic to present day

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

A long reconstruction

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras