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 new palace for the La Rocca lords

Feast days

One city, three sites

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

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

A colourful floor

Searching for colour

The chocolate of Modica

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

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

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

A majestic and luminous church

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

Prominent façade

Norman apses

The city of museums

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

Connections with other UNESCO sites

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

A new site for a new church

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

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

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

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

The disastrous earthquake

A miniature city

The façade used as a puppet theatre

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

A half-Baroque church

Some masterpieces

A museum to save a tradition

New roads for Catania

St. Sebastian, so much work!

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

The interior and its masterpieces

A new site for a new city

Limestone, the colour of harmony

Many owners, one palace

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

The Burgos crucifix

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

A prominent church

The senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation

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

The Maiolica of the staircase

A Nobel Prize in Modica

A hall for the feasts

An eagle-shaped city

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

Discovering the mother church

A long reconstruction

A city in colour

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

The wall comes to life

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

The internal colours

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

Feasting in Palazzolo

A triumph of colour

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

A talking palace

The theatre of taste

Two illustrious patron saints

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

Modica, a city with ancient origins

The Baroque town by the sea

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

The two churches

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

A symbol for the town

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

Between white and black

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

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

A feast only for Scicli

From International Gothic to present day

The Staircase of Angels

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

Wonderful quick decorations

A small room with a golden entrance

The colours of the cathedral

One city, two sites

A square as the heart of the city

The church of Carmine

Some prestigious works