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

Two illustrious patron saints

The colours of the cathedral

The Staircase of Angels

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The Burgos crucifix

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

New roads for Catania

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

One city, two sites

Discovering the mother church

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

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

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

A museum to save a tradition

Norman apses

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

A new site for a new church

A majestic and luminous church

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

Feast days

Between white and black

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

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

The church of Carmine

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

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

Some prestigious works

The senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

A long reconstruction

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

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

The interior and its masterpieces

St. Sebastian, so much work!

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

The disastrous earthquake

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

A Nobel Prize in Modica

A prominent church

A half-Baroque church

A new site for a new city

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Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

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The façade used as a puppet theatre

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

An eagle-shaped city

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

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

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

Many owners, one palace

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

Some masterpieces

A square as the heart of the city

Connections with other UNESCO sites

One city, three sites

Feasting in Palazzolo

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

A feast only for Scicli

The Baroque town by the sea

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

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

A small room with a golden entrance

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

Searching for colour

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

The theatre of taste

Prominent façade

The two churches

Modica, a city with ancient origins

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

A talking palace

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From International Gothic to present day

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

The wall comes to life

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

A symbol for the town

A colourful floor

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

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

Wonderful quick decorations

A triumph of colour

The chocolate of Modica

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

A miniature city

The city of museums

A city in colour

The Maiolica of the staircase

Limestone, the colour of harmony

The internal colours

A hall for the feasts

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci