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 Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

A symbol for the town

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

The Burgos crucifix

Feasting in Palazzolo

The wall comes to life

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

A new site for a new city

A colourful floor

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

The Staircase of Angels

Wonderful quick decorations

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

Prominent façade

New roads for Catania

Some prestigious works

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

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

Discovering the mother church

The two churches

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

Some masterpieces

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

A Nobel Prize in Modica

Modica, a city with ancient origins

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

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

A small room with a golden entrance

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

The façade used as a puppet theatre

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

A feast only for Scicli

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

A miniature city

The disastrous earthquake

A new site for a new church

The senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation

The Maiolica of the staircase

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

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

Searching for colour

A half-Baroque church

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

A city in colour

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

One city, two sites

The chocolate of Modica

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

Norman apses

Between white and black

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

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

From International Gothic to present day

Limestone, the colour of harmony

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

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

The internal colours

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

The church of Carmine

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

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

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

The city of museums

Connections with other UNESCO sites

A triumph of colour

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

The colours of the cathedral

The Baroque town by the sea

St. Sebastian, so much work!

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

The interior and its masterpieces

A hall for the feasts

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

An eagle-shaped city

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

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

One city, three sites

A talking palace

A majestic and luminous church

A museum to save a tradition

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

Feast days

A prominent church

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

A long reconstruction

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

Many owners, one palace

The theatre of taste

A square as the heart of the city