Catania

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

sight
A hypnotic floor

With a splendid geometric design of curved and broken lines pointing towards the centre, the floor of the church of San Giuliano (St. Julian) mesmerises all who look upon it.
The effect is amplified by the contrast between the colours of the floor.
The red stone alternating with white marble with light grey veins is enough to make your head spin.

hearing
The singing of the Benedictines

On the Feast of St. Agatha, the saint’s statue is carried around the city streets in procession.
The long route takes us in front of the church of San Giuliano (St. Julian), where the devout Benedictine nuns, hidden behind the grilles, hear prayers, honour the Saint and take part in one of the most important celebrations.

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

One city, three sites

The façade used as a puppet theatre

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

Many owners, one palace

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

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

The two churches

Some prestigious works

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

Wonderful quick decorations

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

Feast days

A new site for a new city

New roads for Catania

An eagle-shaped city

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

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

Connections with other UNESCO sites

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

The wall comes to life

A small room with a golden entrance

From International Gothic to present day

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

The Staircase of Angels

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

A miniature city

The Baroque town by the sea

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

Two illustrious patron saints

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

One city, two sites

The church of Carmine

A triumph of colour

A half-Baroque church

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

A feast only for Scicli

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

Limestone, the colour of harmony

A city in colour

A long reconstruction

St. Sebastian, so much work!

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

The chocolate of Modica

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

Prominent façade

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

Between white and black

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

The city of museums

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

The disastrous earthquake

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

The internal colours

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

Searching for colour

The Burgos crucifix

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

A hall for the feasts

A colourful floor

The Maiolica of the staircase

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

A square as the heart of the city

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

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

Modica, a city with ancient origins

A prominent church

A Nobel Prize in Modica

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

Some masterpieces

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

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

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

The interior and its masterpieces

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

A talking palace

A new site for a new church

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

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

Feasting in Palazzolo

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

The colours of the cathedral

A symbol for the town

The theatre of taste

A museum to save a tradition

A majestic and luminous church

The senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation

Discovering the mother church

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

Norman apses