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

Feast days

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

Wonderful quick decorations

New roads for Catania

A new site for a new city

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

Limestone, the colour of harmony

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

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

A new site for a new church

From International Gothic to present day

A miniature city

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

A small room with a golden entrance

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

Many owners, one palace

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

One city, two sites

The senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation

A colourful floor

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

A Nobel Prize in Modica

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

The chocolate of Modica

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

A half-Baroque church

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

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

Some prestigious works

A triumph of colour

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

A square as the heart of the city

A long reconstruction

The Staircase of Angels

The internal colours

A talking palace

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

The theatre of taste

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

St. Sebastian, so much work!

Norman apses

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

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

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

Connections with other UNESCO sites

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

Some masterpieces

An eagle-shaped city

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

The interior and its masterpieces

The Baroque town by the sea

A feast only for Scicli

A symbol for the town

A majestic and luminous church

Feasting in Palazzolo

The church of Carmine

Modica, a city with ancient origins

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

A city in colour

The façade used as a puppet theatre

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

A museum to save a tradition

The disastrous earthquake

The two churches

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

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

The colours of the cathedral

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

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

Prominent façade

The wall comes to life

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

Discovering the mother church

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

Two illustrious patron saints

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

The Maiolica of the staircase

A prominent church

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

Between white and black

Searching for colour

One city, three sites

The city of museums

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

A hall for the feasts

The Burgos crucifix