Catania

A miniature city

foto portale ingressoThe Benedictine monastery of Catania, with its long history, is also known as “the city within the city”. Its large size and dozens of activities taking place inside make it seem like a small city, bordered by large walls and capable of interesting cultural exchange with the surrounding urban fabric.
Since the 1970s it has been the seat of the Faculty of Literature, Language and Philosophy of the University of Catania.
Today the monastery is accessed via the surrounding wall through a majestic portal that leads into the large courtyard surrounding the Abbey, passing the main staircase in Carrara marble with ninety-five steps.
It is a remarkable piece of architecture with a white staircase, walls decorated with gypsum bas-reliefs and stuccoes that accentuate the play on light and shadow, thus creating an elegant two-toned effect.
It leads to the corridors that bring us to the monks’ cells and the two cloisters.
The first cloister, to the east, is surrounded by a splendid portico in white Syracuse stone raised on a dark base and enhanced in the centre by the caffeaos (coffee house). The second cloister was rebuilt after the earthquake of 1693 and features a stark contrast between the dark plaster wall and the fifty-two white marble columns on the lower storey.
the centre, the majestic marble fountain offers a focal point for the space.foto scalone da pianerottolo volte piano superiore

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

A Nobel Prize in Modica

Prominent façade

A small room with a golden entrance

Connections with other UNESCO sites

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

St. Sebastian, so much work!

An eagle-shaped city

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

The wall comes to life

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

The disastrous earthquake

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

A new site for a new city

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

The church of Carmine

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

A triumph of colour

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

The senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation

Some masterpieces

Limestone, the colour of harmony

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

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

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

The Maiolica of the staircase

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

Wonderful quick decorations

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

Some prestigious works

From International Gothic to present day

A majestic and luminous church

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

A city in colour

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

One city, two sites

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

The theatre of taste

The internal colours

The chocolate of Modica

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

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

Many owners, one palace

A prominent church

A new site for a new church

Feasting in Palazzolo

The façade used as a puppet theatre

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

A museum to save a tradition

Modica, a city with ancient origins

A half-Baroque church

New roads for Catania

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

A symbol for the town

The colours of the cathedral

A talking palace

Between white and black

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

Two illustrious patron saints

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

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

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

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

The interior and its masterpieces

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

The city of museums

The Burgos crucifix

A colourful floor

A miniature city

Feast days

A square as the heart of the city

The Baroque town by the sea

Norman apses

One city, three sites

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

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

The two churches

A long reconstruction

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

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

A hall for the feasts

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

Discovering the mother church

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

A feast only for Scicli

Searching for colour

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

The Staircase of Angels