sight
If we climbed the steps leading to the terrace above the abbey of St. Agatha, perhaps we would be a little tired or out of breath, but there would be a splendid landscape before us.
The entire city can be seen from here: the Bellini Theatre, the Cathedral, the Ursino Castle, the churches on Via Crociferi and the great Benedictine monastery.
The cloistered nuns (who never left the monastery) used this terrace to participate in city life and attend processions without being seen.
smell
The smell of wax is one of the most characteristic scents inside a church and in the streets of Catania during the patron saint’s celebrations.
Votive candles are still produced today in Catania’s artisanal workshops using techniques and raw materials steeped in ancient knowledge.
There were originally two types of candles: those made with beeswax, which were more refined and expensive, and those made with animal fat, which were far cheaper but gave off an unpleasant smell and smoke.
