Catania

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

sight
Brightness and light

Colour, light and more colour!
The vault is a riot of colour, capable of making the figures and shapes stand out, and leaving visitors gazing upwards.
As for the altar, it attracts attention thanks to the brilliance and shine of gold, silver and the precious sparkling stones used to decorate it.
The church is a treasure trove of precious jewels.

hearing
A sound to accompany prayer

It’s 1790 and you’re inside the church of St. Benedict, attending one of the services… You can hear something… what is it?
The organ!
With a sound alternating between gentle and low, it accompanies prayer as impressed worshippers celebrate Holy Mass.
Then the bells announce the end of the service.
Their chimes vibrate in the atmosphere and resonate along Via dei Crociferi.

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

The church of Carmine

A talking palace

A hall for the feasts

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

The Maiolica of the staircase

A prominent church

The senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

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

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

One city, three sites

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

A new site for a new city

Limestone, the colour of harmony

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

A symbol for the town

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

The theatre of taste

A half-Baroque church

Norman apses

A city in colour

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

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

The city of museums

Between white and black

Prominent façade

Feast days

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

Searching for colour

A majestic and luminous church

The disastrous earthquake

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

The wall comes to life

The Staircase of Angels

A museum to save a tradition

Modica, a city with ancient origins

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

St. Sebastian, so much work!

Feasting in Palazzolo

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

The interior and its masterpieces

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

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

A small room with a golden entrance

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

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

Connections with other UNESCO sites

The Baroque town by the sea

One city, two sites

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

A Nobel Prize in Modica

Some prestigious works

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

The colours of the cathedral

Two illustrious patron saints

The Burgos crucifix

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

An eagle-shaped city

A square as the heart of the city

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

A miniature city

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

Discovering the mother church

A triumph of colour

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

New roads for Catania

A long reconstruction

The two churches

A colourful floor

The chocolate of Modica

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

A new site for a new church

From International Gothic to present day

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

The internal colours

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

Wonderful quick decorations

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

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

The façade used as a puppet theatre

A feast only for Scicli

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

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

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

Some masterpieces

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

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

Many owners, one palace