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

Some masterpieces

The Maiolica of the staircase

New roads for Catania

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

One city, three sites

A half-Baroque church

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

A new site for a new city

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

The wall comes to life

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

A Nobel Prize in Modica

The internal colours

The disastrous earthquake

Wonderful quick decorations

Prominent façade

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

Some prestigious works

The church of Carmine

Between white and black

Many owners, one palace

A prominent church

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

The city of museums

The façade used as a puppet theatre

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

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

A small room with a golden entrance

The Staircase of Angels

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

A museum to save a tradition

Two illustrious patron saints

Modica, a city with ancient origins

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

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

A symbol for the town

A miniature city

From International Gothic to present day

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

A hall for the feasts

Discovering the mother church

Feasting in Palazzolo

Searching for colour

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

The Burgos crucifix

An eagle-shaped city

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

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

The senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

The chocolate of Modica

The Baroque town by the sea

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

A new site for a new church

Connections with other UNESCO sites

Feast days

The interior and its masterpieces

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

A long reconstruction

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

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

The theatre of taste

St. Sebastian, so much work!

A majestic and luminous church

Norman apses

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

A city in colour

A triumph of colour

A colourful floor

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

The colours of the cathedral

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

A square as the heart of the city

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

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

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

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

The two churches

A talking palace

Limestone, the colour of harmony

One city, two sites

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

A feast only for Scicli