Catania

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

The church of San Giuliano (St. Julian) has a majestic white marble façade protected by a tall wrought iron gate.
foto con i tre portali
One of the structure’s most characteristic elements is undoubtedly the belly of the central section. The façade is also divided into two levels: the first contains the portals, but only the middle one grants access to the church; the second features seven louvre , windows, with the largest in the centre. The marble façade contrasts with the large octagon of the dark grey lava stone dome. A white stone loggia was built on it, which allowed the nuns to admire the city, and above all to watch the procession of St. Agatha passing along Via dei Crociferi.
foto particolare timpano su facciata  foto della parte alta tamburo ottagonale
The interior was enchanting! Plays of light and colour create an incredible atmosphere in the church.
Small and cosy thanks to the Greek cross central plan , the church floor immediately catches the eye, with white and red geometric designs. The white walls are illuminated by gold which outlines the edges and the most important elements. The church was also enriched by four chapels whose artwork broke up the white of the walls.

A triumph of colour

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

A city in colour

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

Limestone, the colour of harmony

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

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

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

Some prestigious works

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

The Maiolica of the staircase

A new site for a new church

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

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

The disastrous earthquake

Wonderful quick decorations

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

A small room with a golden entrance

Feasting in Palazzolo

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

The internal colours

New roads for Catania

The façade used as a puppet theatre

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

A half-Baroque church

Discovering the mother church

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

An eagle-shaped city

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

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

Many owners, one palace

A museum to save a tradition

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

Between white and black

A square as the heart of the city

A new site for a new city

The city of museums

A long reconstruction

The Burgos crucifix

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

Prominent façade

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

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

A symbol for the town

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

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

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

A hall for the feasts

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

Searching for colour

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

A talking palace

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

St. Sebastian, so much work!

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

A majestic and luminous church

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

The colours of the cathedral

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

Modica, a city with ancient origins

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

A feast only for Scicli

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

Some masterpieces

Connections with other UNESCO sites

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

A Nobel Prize in Modica

A prominent church

The two churches

One city, three sites

Two illustrious patron saints

The theatre of taste

One city, two sites

The Baroque town by the sea

Feast days

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

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

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

The chocolate of Modica

From International Gothic to present day

The wall comes to life

The interior and its masterpieces

The Staircase of Angels

A miniature city

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

A colourful floor

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

The senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

The church of Carmine

Norman apses