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.

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

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

The wall comes to life

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

Modica, a city with ancient origins

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

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

Wonderful quick decorations

Feast days

A talking palace

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

The church of Carmine

A hall for the feasts

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

A museum to save a tradition

Searching for colour

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

A city in colour

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

A Nobel Prize in Modica

One city, two sites

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

An eagle-shaped city

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

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

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

A symbol for the town

A new site for a new city

One city, three sites

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

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

Prominent façade

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

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

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

Some prestigious works

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

A feast only for Scicli

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

Norman apses

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

The senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation

The colours of the cathedral

St. Sebastian, so much work!

The Burgos crucifix

Connections with other UNESCO sites

A colourful floor

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

The internal colours

The Staircase of Angels

Some masterpieces

Discovering the mother church

Limestone, the colour of harmony

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

The Baroque town by the sea

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

A prominent church

From International Gothic to present day

A triumph of colour

A new site for a new church

Many owners, one palace

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

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

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

The theatre of taste

A long reconstruction

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

A miniature city

A square as the heart of the city

The city of museums

The disastrous earthquake

A half-Baroque church

A majestic and luminous church

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

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

Between white and black

Feasting in Palazzolo

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

New roads for Catania

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

The interior and its masterpieces

A small room with a golden entrance

The chocolate of Modica

The two churches

The façade used as a puppet theatre

The Maiolica of the staircase

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

Two illustrious patron saints