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

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

Discovering the mother church

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

A Nobel Prize in Modica

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

A feast only for Scicli

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

From International Gothic to present day

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

A new site for a new city

Wonderful quick decorations

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

Between white and black

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

A city in colour

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

A museum to save a tradition

The façade used as a puppet theatre

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

Many owners, one palace

Some prestigious works

An eagle-shaped city

A square as the heart of the city

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

The wall comes to life

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

Limestone, the colour of harmony

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

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

The interior and its masterpieces

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

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

A majestic and luminous church

A half-Baroque church

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

A symbol for the town

The Maiolica of the staircase

St. Sebastian, so much work!

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

The two churches

Some masterpieces

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

A hall for the feasts

The Burgos crucifix

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

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

Searching for colour

A talking palace

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

Feasting in Palazzolo

Connections with other UNESCO sites

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

Norman apses

A small room with a golden entrance

New roads for Catania

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

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

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

The church of Carmine

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

Feast days

One city, two sites

The colours of the cathedral

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

The theatre of taste

The disastrous earthquake

A prominent church

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

The Staircase of Angels

Prominent façade

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

The chocolate of Modica

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

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

The senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation

One city, three sites

A colourful floor

A long reconstruction

The internal colours

Two illustrious patron saints

A new site for a new church

Modica, a city with ancient origins

A miniature city

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

A triumph of colour

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

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

The Baroque town by the sea

The city of museums

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