Caltagirone

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

hearing
Listening was important

With a little imagination you can return to 1800 when the church was still used by the nuns and you could listen to the liturgical celebrations.
Worshippers and the nuns attended mass. But there was a problem!
The nuns could not be seen by anyone because they lived in seclusion.
So how did they attend mass? Galleries, like a sort of box seat, were built with louvre blinds (grilles), behind which they could watch the celebrations without being seen.

touch
Touch to discover

Touching objects is one of our instincts and gives us an immediate connection to what is in front of us.
Touching the façade of Santa Chiara (St. Claire) would help us understand the material’s hardness, the stone’s temperature and the porosity of the surface (smooth or rough), giving us a great deal of information in a very short time.
When comparing this information with other objects, we uncover the differences between one material and another.
The maiolica tiles on the floor of Santa Chiara are colder and much smoother to the touch than the façade. The wood of the galleries, on the other hand, is warmer than the sandstone façade and the maiolica floor and balustrade.

sight
Antependium

The alter area hides a masterpiece: the antependium.
Situated in the front part of the altar, the artists took inspiration from Renaissance architecture for the decoration.
The result was a splendid scenographic effect, amplified by the use of mirrors and embellished with materials such as amber and wood covered with silver sheets, then worked to imitate gold.
The light that hits it creates wonderful reflections that illuminate the room. foto edificio a specchi

A half-Baroque church

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The character of Badia Sant’Agata

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

A long reconstruction

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

A Nobel Prize in Modica

Some prestigious works

A colourful floor

Norman apses

The chocolate of Modica

Modica, a city with ancient origins

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

Searching for colour

A hall for the feasts

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

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

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Feasting in Palazzolo

Two illustrious patron saints

Many owners, one palace

The Staircase of Angels

A new site for a new church

A symbol for the town

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

A square as the heart of the city

A majestic and luminous church

Discovering the mother church

The church of Carmine

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

A city in colour

The colours of the cathedral

A miniature city

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

The theatre of taste

St. Sebastian, so much work!

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

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

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

Wonderful quick decorations

From International Gothic to present day

A small room with a golden entrance

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

Between white and black

One city, three sites

The interior and its masterpieces

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

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

Limestone, the colour of harmony

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

Prominent façade

The Maiolica of the staircase

The city of museums

A talking palace

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

Some masterpieces

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

One city, two sites

A triumph of colour

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

The façade used as a puppet theatre

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

The senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation

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Feast days

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

The two churches

The internal colours

A museum to save a tradition

A feast only for Scicli

New roads for Catania

The disastrous earthquake

Connections with other UNESCO sites

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

The Burgos crucifix

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

The wall comes to life

A new site for a new city

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

An eagle-shaped city

The Baroque town by the sea

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

A prominent church

A new palace for the La Rocca lords