Catania

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

One of the most evocative rooms of the monastery is the kitchen.
foto cucina della portaLike the refectory, antirefectory, library and museum, the space dedicated to preparing food was designed by Giovan Battista Vaccarini and its construction began in 1739.
foto cucina dei benedettiniThe architect had to take into account the rules of monastic architecture, which meant separating the kitchen from the other rooms. This way, if there was a fire, it would not spread to the other rooms.
Similarly, the passageways leading to the refectory as well as being narrow were equipped with multiple barriers.
The kitchen underwent various changes over the years, but the structure has remained the same with the hearths in the centre, a huge brazier placed in an octagonal “chamber”.
The maiolica decorations that enrich the structure create splendid orange and blue squares with a white background of abstract motifs. The floor is just as surprising. Also made with colourful maiolica tiles, it extends across the whole room. However, the floor is not simple or uniform; it is divided into eight parts with two different alternating decorations.
The first is a white floor with fine blue, black and yellow geometric decorations that cover the smaller portions; the other is larger and more colourful, where yellow and green dominate the blue, orange and white decoration. foto Dettaglio maioliche

The Baroque town by the sea

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

The interior and its masterpieces

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

A museum to save a tradition

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

Two illustrious patron saints

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

Many owners, one palace

Some masterpieces

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

St. Sebastian, so much work!

A majestic and luminous church

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

The internal colours

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

The chocolate of Modica

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

The city of museums

A small room with a golden entrance

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

The church of Carmine

A half-Baroque church

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

The Staircase of Angels

A feast only for Scicli

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

A talking palace

The disastrous earthquake

The Maiolica of the staircase

One city, two sites

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

A square as the heart of the city

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

Feasting in Palazzolo

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

The colours of the cathedral

Limestone, the colour of harmony

The wall comes to life

A hall for the feasts

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

Feast days

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

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

A long reconstruction

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

Norman apses

Some prestigious works

One city, three sites

The Burgos crucifix

A symbol for the town

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

Between white and black

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

From International Gothic to present day

A Nobel Prize in Modica

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

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

A city in colour

The façade used as a puppet theatre

The theatre of taste

Prominent façade

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

A miniature city

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

Searching for colour

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

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

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

A new site for a new church

Discovering the mother church

New roads for Catania

A colourful floor

A new site for a new city

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

A prominent church

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

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

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

Modica, a city with ancient origins

The two churches

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

An eagle-shaped city

The senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation

Connections with other UNESCO sites

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

Wonderful quick decorations

A triumph of colour

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