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 Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

A half-Baroque church

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

The church of Carmine

One city, three sites

Connections with other UNESCO sites

An eagle-shaped city

The wall comes to life

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

A talking palace

The theatre of taste

The chocolate of Modica

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

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

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

The Burgos crucifix

Between white and black

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

St. Sebastian, so much work!

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

The senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

Two illustrious patron saints

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

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

A city in colour

One city, two sites

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

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

The Baroque town by the sea

A prominent church

The Staircase of Angels

A museum to save a tradition

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

The city of museums

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

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

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

Some masterpieces

Modica, a city with ancient origins

A feast only for Scicli

A small room with a golden entrance

The Maiolica of the staircase

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

Many owners, one palace

From International Gothic to present day

A Nobel Prize in Modica

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

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

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

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

Limestone, the colour of harmony

Prominent façade

A triumph of colour

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

The disastrous earthquake

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

Feasting in Palazzolo

Searching for colour

A majestic and luminous church

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

Some prestigious works

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

A colourful floor

Feast days

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

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

A new site for a new church

A new site for a new city

A hall for the feasts

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

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

Wonderful quick decorations

Discovering the mother church

The internal colours

A miniature city

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

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

A square as the heart of the city

The interior and its masterpieces

Norman apses

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

The two churches

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

A symbol for the town

A long reconstruction

The façade used as a puppet theatre

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

New roads for Catania

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

The colours of the cathedral