Catania

The disastrous earthquake

The city of Catania is located in eastern Sicily, overlooking the Ionian Sea, and lies on the slopes of Mount Etna.
veduta EtnaThe people of Catania are deeply attached to the volcano, a symbol of the city, but it is also the cause of immense disasters such as the eruption in 1669.
In 1693, a violent earthquake struck Catania and destroyed it completely; only the walls, fortifications and some ancient buildings survived. The people of Catania then had two options: abandon the old city forever, or focus their energies on rebuilding it on the same site.
Given its strategic position for trade between the coast and further inland, they decided not to change location and so began an extraordinary rebirth.
All state, religious and secular authorities participated in the reconstruction, demonstrating remarkable organisational capacity.
Under the supervision of the Duke of Camastra , a reconstruction and restructuring plan was implemented, which still forms the urban fabric of Catania today. The current Piazza Duomo was recognised as the central point around which the new main roads were designed.

Many owners, one palace

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

The Baroque town by the sea

One city, two sites

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

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

Discovering the mother church

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

Some prestigious works

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

Modica, a city with ancient origins

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

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

The chocolate of Modica

A majestic and luminous church

A new site for a new church

The two churches

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

A miniature city

Between white and black

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

A museum to save a tradition

A colourful floor

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

A feast only for Scicli

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

The colours of the cathedral

Searching for colour

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

The wall comes to life

The Maiolica of the staircase

The church of Carmine

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

A long reconstruction

One city, three sites

A half-Baroque church

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

Wonderful quick decorations

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

A triumph of colour

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

Two illustrious patron saints

A city in colour

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

The Staircase of Angels

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

A Nobel Prize in Modica

A prominent church

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

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

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

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

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

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

A new site for a new city

Limestone, the colour of harmony

The façade used as a puppet theatre

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

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

The interior and its masterpieces

Prominent façade

Some masterpieces

New roads for Catania

Norman apses

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

St. Sebastian, so much work!

A small room with a golden entrance

An eagle-shaped city

The senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation

A hall for the feasts

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

Feast days

Feasting in Palazzolo

A symbol for the town

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

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

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

Connections with other UNESCO sites

From International Gothic to present day

The city of museums

The disastrous earthquake

The internal colours

The theatre of taste

A square as the heart of the city

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

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

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

A talking palace

The Burgos crucifix

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo