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.

A majestic and luminous church

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

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

A new site for a new church

Limestone, the colour of harmony

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

The internal colours

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

A small room with a golden entrance

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

A hall for the feasts

From International Gothic to present day

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

The Baroque town by the sea

The theatre of taste

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

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

A city in colour

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

One city, three sites

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

Feast days

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

The Staircase of Angels

Discovering the mother church

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

Some masterpieces

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

Searching for colour

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

New roads for Catania

Wonderful quick decorations

A Nobel Prize in Modica

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

The disastrous earthquake

A triumph of colour

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

A square as the heart of the city

An eagle-shaped city

A colourful floor

The chocolate of Modica

The wall comes to life

Between white and black

The senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation

A talking palace

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

The Maiolica of the staircase

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

The two churches

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

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

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

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

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

A long reconstruction

A half-Baroque church

Connections with other UNESCO sites

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

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

A feast only for Scicli

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

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

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

Two illustrious patron saints

A prominent church

St. Sebastian, so much work!

The façade used as a puppet theatre

Norman apses

A miniature city

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

Modica, a city with ancient origins

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

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

The interior and its masterpieces

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

A symbol for the town

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

The city of museums

The colours of the cathedral

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

One city, two sites

The Burgos crucifix

A new site for a new city

A museum to save a tradition

Feasting in Palazzolo

Prominent façade

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

The church of Carmine

Some prestigious works

Many owners, one palace