In architecture, a tympanum corresponds to the triangular area defined by a frame called a pediment, whose surface can be smooth, sculpted or painted. It can be found in the enclosing element on the short side of a Greek temple or in the crowning of the façades of a building or, in small dimensio...

A pilaster is an architectural element incorporated in the wall, required to support a building's structure. It takes the form of a pillar protruding only very slightly from the wall surface....

Lava stone is a type of material that derives from the solidified lava from Etna's eruptions. The lava that escapes and solidifies becomes very hard and takes on a dark grey colour. It is also called "pietra nigra" (black stone) and is used as a building material for terraces and walls. It is work...

In the 17th century the floors were decorated with geometric elements and the completely turquoise motif of the Persian palmette. There were also three other types. The first two were formed of maiolica and terracotta and had a perimeter of square maiolica tiles, while in the middle of the floor t...

St. Agatha is the patron saint of Catania. The people of Catania, who are highly devoted to her, organise festivities in her honour that last for three days, from 3rd to 5th February. St. Agatha was a young Christian aristocrat from Catania who, to avoid renouncing her faith in God, was imprisoned...

The museum was founded in 1965 by Don Luigi Sturzo and is entirely dedicated to pottery. The entrance to the museum is through an evocative 19th-century portico that crowns the 18th-century belvedere, creating a scenic structure composed of staircases and a jubilation of ceramic decorations. It...

Paolo Orsi, born in Rovereto in 1859, was one of the most important Italian archaeologists. He arrived in Syracuse in 1888, as a third-class inspector of the Excavations and Museums of Syracuse, under the direction of Francesco Saverio Cavallari. Orsi devoted himself to the study of prehistory, wi...

The sacred sacellum covered by a barrel vault can be accessed through a heavy metal door that leads to a small room with frescoes on three walls. The fourth wall, not frescoed, features two niches. One contains the magnificent reliquary bust of the saint, concealed by a small silver sheet door tha...

A reliquary is usually a very precious container used to store relics, the remains of a saint. It is described as anthropomorphic when it takes the form of the body part contained inside it. For example, the shape of an arm or foot....

A short inscription under the architrave of the main entrance portal commemorates the Palermo-born architect: ANNO D.MI 1736 ARCHITETTO D. JOANNE BAPTISTA VACCARINI (ANNO DOMINI 1736 ARCHITECT D. JOANNE BAPTISTA VACCARINI). The portal is made of wood and on it are assembled 32 panels depicting epis...