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

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

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

Some prestigious works

A prominent church

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

A museum to save a tradition

A triumph of colour

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

A half-Baroque church

Prominent façade

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

A hall for the feasts

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

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

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

Between white and black

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

A city in colour

A small room with a golden entrance

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

A square as the heart of the city

The Burgos crucifix

The Maiolica of the staircase

A miniature city

The disastrous earthquake

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

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

Many owners, one palace

The interior and its masterpieces

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

Feast days

Searching for colour

Norman apses

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

A talking palace

The city of museums

St. Sebastian, so much work!

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

Some masterpieces

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

From International Gothic to present day

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

The theatre of taste

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

New roads for Catania

The colours of the cathedral

The internal colours

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

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

A feast only for Scicli

Wonderful quick decorations

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

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

The Staircase of Angels

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

The façade used as a puppet theatre

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

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

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

An eagle-shaped city

Discovering the mother church

The church of Carmine

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

Two illustrious patron saints

Feasting in Palazzolo

A long reconstruction

A symbol for the town

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

One city, two sites

The senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

A majestic and luminous church

Limestone, the colour of harmony

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

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

The two churches

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

A new site for a new city

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

Modica, a city with ancient origins

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

Connections with other UNESCO sites

The chocolate of Modica

A colourful floor

A Nobel Prize in Modica

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

The Baroque town by the sea

One city, three sites

A new site for a new church

The wall comes to life

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