Catania

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

sight
The façade with a play on colour

foto bicromiaOf all the wonders of Piazza Duomo, the cathedral certainly does not go unnoticed.
Thanks to a play on colour between the white limestone and grey lava stone, the façade figures prominently in the square.
The two colours alternate with one another to create a perfect harmony that adds liveliness to the façade.
The colours are not always the same; at different times of the day they shine differently depending on the light.

touch
Coarse to smooth, hot to cold

Look but don’t touch! How many times have you heard this said in museums or churches?
But if you could touch each material that made up the church you would notice how different they are; starting with the pillars that separate the central nave from the lateral naves, the former in lava stone and the latter in white limestone.
On a hot summer day, the outside walls will be much warmer than those inside, which will be undoubtedly cold.

hearing
Music in the Cathedral

foto dell'organo l'interno della cattedraleThe church has an unbreakable bond with music.
The cathedral of St. Agatha is not only home to a magnificent organ, now located above the entrance, but the tomb of the musician Vincenzo Bellini (1801-1835).
Though he died very young, he was recognised as one of the greatest composers of his time.
The artist’s tomb was created in 1876 by Giovanni Battista Tassara and is located next to one of the pillars of the right nave.
Bellini was initially buried in Paris at the Père Lachaise Cemetery.

taste
A dessert for a saint

During the feast dedicated to St. Agatha, the “Minne di Sant’Agata”, a dessert made in her honour, are another must.
The shape is unambiguously reminiscent of a woman’s breast, in memory of the terrible martyrdom suffered by the saint.
The dessert consists of a shortcrust pastry shell covered with white icing with a candied cherry on top; the filling is made with sweetened sheep’s milk ricotta, candied fruit and dark chocolate. Yum! Not to be missed if you happen to be in Catania during the feast. foto dei dolci delle minne di Sant'Agata

A majestic and luminous church

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

A miniature city

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

The colours of the cathedral

From International Gothic to present day

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

A museum to save a tradition

Between white and black

A triumph of colour

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

St. Sebastian, so much work!

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

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

A Nobel Prize in Modica

The disastrous earthquake

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

A new site for a new city

The chocolate of Modica

A symbol for the town

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

Discovering the mother church

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

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

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

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

A hall for the feasts

Some prestigious works

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

The theatre of taste

The Burgos crucifix

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

A long reconstruction

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

A feast only for Scicli

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

Many owners, one palace

One city, three sites

The façade used as a puppet theatre

The senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation

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

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

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

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

New roads for Catania

A colourful floor

A half-Baroque church

Feasting in Palazzolo

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

The wall comes to life

The Baroque town by the sea

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

One city, two sites

Modica, a city with ancient origins

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

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

Connections with other UNESCO sites

Searching for colour

The church of Carmine

The city of museums

Norman apses

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

A talking palace

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

Prominent façade

The Staircase of Angels

A city in colour

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

A square as the heart of the city

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

Limestone, the colour of harmony

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

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

A new site for a new church

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

Two illustrious patron saints

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

The interior and its masterpieces

The Maiolica of the staircase

A small room with a golden entrance

Wonderful quick decorations

An eagle-shaped city

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

The internal colours

A prominent church

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

The two churches

Feast days

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

Some masterpieces