sight

Antependium

The alter area hides a masterpiece: the antependium. Situated in the front part of the altar, the artists took inspiration from Renaissance architecture for the decoration. The result was a splendid scenographic effect, amplified by the use of mirrors and embellished with materials such as amber a...
Read more
touch

Touch to discover

Touching objects is one of our instincts and gives us an immediate connection to what is in front of us. Touching the façade of Santa Chiara (St. Claire) would help us understand the material's hardness, the stone's temperature and the porosity of the surface (smooth or rough), giving us a great d...
Read more
hearing

Listening was important

With a little imagination you can return to 1800 when the church was still used by the nuns and you could listen to the liturgical celebrations. Worshippers and the nuns attended mass. But there was a problem! The nuns could not be seen by anyone because they lived in seclusion. So how did they a...
Read more
smell

The scent of the feasts

In addition to its colours and lights during the two most important feasts, the Staircase of St. Mary of the Mountain is also filled with various scents. The smell of flowers accompanies the feast dedicated to the Madonna Conadomini, while burning wax is the typical aroma for the celebrations of St...
Read more
sight

Infinite colours for a single staircase

Wow! The Staircase of St. Mary of the Mountain during the town's most important feasts is an exciting sight. In May the taircase becomes a colourful carpet of plants and flowers that perfume the air and together create a spectacular design dedicated to the Madonna dei Conadomini. But it doesn't s...
Read more
taste

Quince paste for the Holy Saviour

The feast of the Santissimo Salvatore (Holy Saviour) is also an opportunity to eat some typical sweets such as cognata (quince paste). The recipe is very simple and requires only three ingredients: quince, sugar and lemon. The ingredients are cooked using the same process as jam and placed in moul...
Read more
smell

The memory of smell

The smell of the candle offered by the mayor and the scent of the flowers that adorn the streets are unmistakable, inevitable parts of the feast of the Holy Saviour. These smells remain imprinted in the memory of young and old people alike, and whenever you catch a hint of them, they bring to mind...
Read more
sight

And then comes red…

The church interior looks like a white canvas with strokes of colour from the frescoes and stucco decorations that create plays of light and shadow. The delicate white walls were combined with a white and grey chequered floor, with a geometric design formed of straight lines in an excellent contra...
Read more
hearing

Sound on

The feast for the Holy Saviour of Militello involves its citizens and also attracts inhabitants from nearby villages and tourists: everyone is invited! During the celebrations the most diverse sounds can be heard: cannon shots announcing the approaching feast; bells ringing to alert citizens of th...
Read more
hearing

A sound to accompany prayer

It's 1790 and you're inside the church of St. Benedict, attending one of the services... You can hear something... what is it? The organ! With a sound alternating between gentle and low, it accompanies prayer as impressed worshippers celebrate Holy Mass. Then the bells announce the end of the ser...
Read more